Indian Wells City Council
June 10, 2025

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 7-28 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP the state agency review period may, but are not required to, begin and end at the same time. The state agency review period begins (day one) on the date that the State Clearinghouse distributes the Draft EIR to state agencies. The State Clearinghouse is required to distribute the Draft EIR to state agencies within three (3) working days from the date the State Clearinghouse receives the document, as long as the Draft EIR is complete when submitted to the State Clearinghouse. If the document submitted to the State Clearinghouse is not complete, the State Clearinghouse must notify the Lead Agency. The review period for the public and all other agencies may run concurrently with the state agency review period established by the State Clearinghouse.

Under certain circumstances, a shorter review period of the Draft EIR by the State Clearinghouse can be requested by the City; however, a shortened review period shall not be less than thirty (30) days for a Draft EIR. Any request for a shortened review period must be made in writing by the City to LCI. The City may designate a person to make these requests. The City must contact all Responsible and Trustee agencies and obtain their agreement prior to obtaining a shortened review period. (See the Shortened Review Request Form “P.”) A shortened review period is not available for any proposed project of statewide, regional or area-wide environmental significance as determined pursuant to State CEQA Guidelines section 15206. Any approval of a shortened review period shall be given prior to, and reflected in, the public notices.

In the event a public agency, group, or person whose comments on a Draft EIR are solicited fails to comment within the required time period, it shall be presumed that such agency, group, or person has no comment to make, unless the Lead Agency has received a written request for a specific extension of time for review and comment and a statement of reasons for the request.

Continued planning activities concerning the proposed project, short of formal approval, may continue during the period set aside for review and comment on the Draft EIR. (Reference: Pub. Resources Code, § 21091; State CEQA Guidelines, §§ 15203, 15205(d).)

7.29 PUBLIC HEARING ON DRAFT EIR.

CEQA does not require formal public hearings for certification of an EIR; public comments may be restricted to written communications. (However, a hearing is required to utilize the limited exemption for Transit Priority Projects as explained in Local Guidelines Section 3.15; to adopt a bicycle transportation plan as explained in Local Guidelines Section 3.19; and for certain other actions involving the replacement or deletion of mitigation measures under State CEQA Guidelines section 15074.1.) However, if the City provides a public hearing on its consideration of a project, the City should include the project’s environmental review documents as one of the subjects of the hearing. Notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be given in a timely manner in accordance with any legal requirements applicable to the proposed project. Generally, the requirements of the Ralph M. Brown Act will provide the minimum requirements for the inclusion of CEQA matters on agendas and at hearings. (Gov. Code, § 54950 et seq.) At a minimum, agendas for meetings and hearings before commissions, boards, councils, and other agencies must be posted in a location that is freely accessible to members of the public at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to a regular meeting. The agenda must contain a brief general

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 7-29 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP description of each item to be discussed and the time and location of the meeting. (Gov. Code, § 54954.2.) Additionally, any legislative body or its presiding officer must post an agenda for each regular or special meeting on the local agency’s Internet Web site, if the local agency has one.
(Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15202.)

7.30 RESPONSE TO COMMENTS ON DRAFT EIR.

The Lead Agency shall evaluate any comments on environmental issues received during the public review period for the Draft EIR and shall prepare a written response to those comments that raise significant environmental issues.

As stated below, the City, as Lead Agency, should also consider evaluating and responding to any comments received after the public review period. The written responses shall describe the disposition of any significant environmental issues that are raised in the comments. The responses may take the form of a revision of the Draft EIR, an attachment to the Draft EIR, or some other oral or written response that is adequate under the circumstances. If the City’s position is at variance with specific recommendations or suggestions raised in the comment, the City’s response must detail the reasons why such recommendations or suggestions were not accepted. The level of detail contained in the response, however, may correspond to the level of detail provided in the comment (i.e., responses to general comments may be general). A general response may be appropriate when a comment does not contain or specifically refer to readily available information, or does not explain the relevance of evidence submitted with the comment.

Moreover, the City shall respond to any specific suggestions for project alternatives or mitigation measures for significant impacts, unless such alternatives or mitigation measures are facially infeasible. The response shall contain recommendations, when appropriate, to alter the project as described in the Draft EIR as a result of an analysis of the comments received.

At least ten (10) days prior to certifying a Final EIR, the Lead Agency shall provide its proposed written response, either in printed copy or in an electronic format, to any public agency that has made comments on the Draft EIR during the public review period. The City, as Lead Agency, is not required to respond to comments received after the public review period. However, the City, as Lead Agency, should consider responding to all comments if it will not delay action on the Final EIR, since any comment received before final action on the EIR can form the basis of a legal challenge. A written response that addresses the comment or adequately explains the City’s action in light of the comment may assist in defending against a legal challenge. (Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15088.)

7.31 PREPARATION AND CONTENTS OF FINAL EIR.

Following the receipt of any comments on the Draft EIR as required herein, such comments shall be evaluated by Staff and a Final EIR shall be prepared.

The Final EIR shall meet all requirements of Local Guidelines Section 7.18 and shall consist of the Draft EIR or a revision of the Draft, a section containing either verbatim or in

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 7-30 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP summary the comments and recommendations received through the review and consultation process, a list of persons, organizations and public agencies commenting on the Draft, and a section containing the responses of the City to the significant environmental points raised in the review and consultation process.
(Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, §§ 15089, 15132.)

7.32 RECIRCULATION WHEN NEW INFORMATION IS ADDED TO EIR.

When significant new information is added to the EIR after notice and consultation but before certification, the Lead Agency must recirculate the Draft EIR for another public review period. The term “information” can include changes in the project or environmental setting as well as additional data or other information.

New information is significant only when the EIR is changed in a way that would deprive the public of a meaningful opportunity to comment upon a substantial adverse environmental effect of a project or a feasible way to mitigate or avoid such an effect, including a feasible project alternative, that the project proponents decline to implement. Recirculation is required, for example, when:
(1) New information added to an EIR discloses:
(a) A new significant environmental impact resulting from the project or from a new mitigation measure proposed to be implemented; or (b) A significant increase in the severity of an environmental impact (unless mitigation measures are also adopted that reduce the impact to a level of insignificance); or
(c) A feasible project alternative or mitigation measure that clearly would lessen the significant environmental impacts of the project, but which the project proponents decline to adopt; or
(2) The Draft EIR is so fundamentally and basically inadequate and conclusory in nature that meaningful public review and comment were precluded.

Recirculation is not required when the new information added to the EIR merely clarifies or amplifies or makes insignificant modifications in an adequate EIR. If the revision is limited to a few chapters or portions of the EIR, the City as Lead Agency need only recirculate the chapters or portions that have been modified. A decision to not recirculate an EIR must be supported by substantial evidence in the record.

When the City determines to recirculate a Draft EIR, it shall give Notice of Recirculation (Form “M”) to every agency, person, or organization that commented on the prior Draft EIR. The Notice of Recirculation must indicate whether new comments must be submitted and whether the City has exercised its discretion to require reviewers to limit their comments to the revised chapters or portions of the recirculated EIR. The City shall also consult again with those persons contacted pursuant to Local Guidelines Section 7.25 before certifying the EIR. When the EIR is substantially revised and the entire EIR is recirculated, the City may require that reviewers submit new comments and need not respond to those comments received during the earlier circulation period.

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 7-31 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP In those cases, the City should advise reviewers that, although their previous comments remain part of the administrative record, the final EIR will not provide a written response to those comments, and new comments on the revised EIR must be submitted. The City need only respond to those comments submitted in response to the revised EIR.

When the EIR is revised only in part and the City is recirculating only the revised chapters or portions of the EIR, the City may request that reviewers limit their comments to the revised chapters or portions. The City need only respond to: (1) comments received during the initial circulation period that relate to chapters or portions of the document that were not revised and recirculated, and (2) comments received during the recirculation period that relate to the chapters or portions of the earlier EIR that were revised and recirculated.

When recirculating a revised EIR, either in whole or in part, the City must, in the revised EIR or by an attachment to the revised EIR, summarize the revisions made to the previously circulated draft EIR.
(Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15088.5.)

7.33 CERTIFICATION OF FINAL EIR.

Following the preparation of the Final EIR, Staff shall review the Final EIR and make a recommendation to the decision-making body regarding whether the Final EIR has been completed in compliance with CEQA, the State CEQA Guidelines and the City’s Local Guidelines. The Final EIR and Staff recommendation shall then be presented to the decision-making body. The decision- making body shall independently review and consider the information contained in the Final EIR and determine whether the Final EIR reflects its independent judgment. Before it approves the project, the decision-making body must certify and find that: (1) the Final EIR has been completed in compliance with CEQA, the State CEQA Guidelines and the City’s Local Guidelines; (2) the Final EIR was presented to the decision-making body and the decision-making body reviewed and considered the information contained in the Final EIR before approving the project; and (3) the Final EIR reflects the City’s independent judgment and analysis.

Except in those cases in which the City Council is the final decision-making body for the project, any interested person may appeal the certification or denial of certification of a Final EIR to the City Council. Appeals must follow the procedures prescribed by the City. (Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15090.)

7.34 CONSIDERATION OF EIR BEFORE APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL OF PROJECT.

Once the decision-making body has certified the EIR, it may then proceed to consider the proposed project for purposes of approval or disapproval. (Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15092.)

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7.35 FINDINGS.

The decision-making body shall not approve or carry out a project if a completed EIR identifies one or more significant environmental effects of the project unless it makes one or more of the following written findings for each such significant effect, accompanied by a brief explanation of the rationale supporting each finding. For impacts that have been identified as potentially significant, the possible findings are:
(a) Changes or alterations have been required in, or incorporated into, the project which mitigate or avoid the significant effects on the environment as identified in the Final EIR, such that the impact has been reduced to a less-than-significant level; (b) Such changes or alterations are within the responsibility and jurisdiction of another public agency and not the City. Such changes have been, or can and should be, adopted by that other agency; or
(c) Specific economic, legal, social, technological or other considerations, including considerations for the provision of employment opportunities for highly trained workers, make infeasible the mitigation measures or alternatives identified in the Final EIR. The decision-making body must make specific written findings stating why it has rejected an alternative to the project as infeasible.

The findings required by this Section shall be supported by substantial evidence in the record. Measures identified and relied on to mitigate environmental impacts identified in the EIR to below a level of significance should be expressly adopted or rejected in the findings. The findings should include a description of the specific reasons for rejecting any mitigation measures or project alternatives identified in the EIR that would reduce the significant impacts of the project.

Any mitigation measures that are adopted must be fully enforceable through permit conditions, agreements, or other measures.

If any of the proposed alternatives could avoid or lessen an adverse impact for which no mitigation measures are proposed, the City shall analyze the feasibility of such alternative(s). If the project is to be approved without including such alternative(s), the City shall find that specific economic, legal, social, technological or other considerations, including considerations for the provision of employment opportunities for highly trained workers, make infeasible the alternatives identified in the Final EIR and shall list such considerations before such approval.

The decision-making body shall not approve or carry out a project as proposed unless: (1) the project as approved will not have a significant effect on the environment; or (2) the project’s significant environmental effects have been eliminated or substantially lessened (as determined through one or more of the findings indicated above), and any remaining unavoidable significant effects have been found acceptable because of facts and circumstances described in a Statement of Overriding Considerations (see Local Guidelines Section 7.37). Statements in the Draft EIR or comments on the Draft EIR are not determinative of whether the project will have significant effects.

When making the findings required by this Section, the City as Lead Agency shall specify the location and custodian of the documents or other material which constitute the record of proceedings upon which it based its decision.

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 7-33 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15091.)

7.36 SPECIAL FINDINGS REQUIRED FOR FACILITIES THAT MAY EMIT HAZARDOUS AIR EMISSIONS NEAR SCHOOLS.

Special procedural rules apply to projects involving the construction or alteration of a facility within one-quarter mile of a school when: (1) the facility might reasonably be anticipated to emit hazardous air emissions or to handle an extremely hazardous substance or a mixture containing extremely hazardous substances in a quantity equal to or greater than the threshold specified in Health and Safety Code section 25532(j); and (2) the emissions or substances may pose a health or safety hazard to persons who would attend or would be employed at the school.

If the project meets both of those criteria, the Lead Agency may not certify an EIR or approve a Negative Declaration or Mitigated Negative Declaration unless it makes a finding that:
(a) The Lead Agency consulted with the affected school district or districts having jurisdiction over the school regarding the potential impact of the project on the school; and (b) The school district was given written notification of the project not less than thirty (30) days prior to the proposed certification of the EIR or approval of the Negative Declaration or Mitigated Negative Declaration.

Implementation of this Local Guideline shall be consistent with the definitions and terms utilized in State CEQA Guidelines section 15186.

Additionally, in its role as a Responsible Agency, the City should be aware that for projects involving the acquisition of a school site or the construction of a secondary or elementary school by a school district, the Negative Declaration, Mitigated Negative Declaration, or EIR prepared for the project may not be adopted or certified unless there is sufficient information in the entire record to determine whether any boundary of the school site is within 500 feet of the edge of the closest traffic lane of a freeway or other busy traffic corridor.

If it is determined that the project involves the acquisition of a school site that is within 500 feet of the edge of the closest traffic lane of a freeway, or other busy traffic corridor, the Negative Declaration, Mitigated Negative Declaration, or EIR may not be adopted or certified unless the school board determines, through a health risk assessment pursuant to Section 44360(b)(2) of the Health and Safety Code and after considering any potential mitigation measures, that the air quality at the proposed project site does not present a significant health risk to pupils.
(Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15186.)

7.37 STATEMENT OF OVERRIDING CONSIDERATIONS.

Before a project that has unmitigated significant adverse environmental effects can be approved, the decision-making body must adopt a Statement of Overriding Considerations. If the decision-making body finds in the Statement of Overriding Considerations that specific benefits of a proposed project outweigh the unavoidable adverse environmental effects, the adverse environmental effects may be considered “acceptable.”

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 7-34 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP Accordingly, the Statement of Overriding Considerations allows the decision-making body to approve a project despite one or more unmitigated significant environmental impacts identified in the Final EIR. A Statement of Overriding Considerations can be made only if feasible project alternatives or mitigation measures do not exist to reduce the environmental impact(s) to a level of insignificance and the benefits of the project outweigh the adverse environmental effect(s). The feasibility of project alternatives or mitigation measures is determined by whether the project alternative or mitigation measure can be accomplished within a reasonable period of time, taking into account economic, environmental, social, legal and technological factors.

Project benefits that are appropriate to consider in the Statement of Overriding Considerations include the economic, legal, environmental, technological and social value of the project. The City may also consider region-wide or statewide environmental benefits.

Substantial evidence in the entire record must justify the decision-making body’s findings and its use of the Statement of Overriding Considerations. If the decision-making body makes a Statement of Overriding Considerations, the Statement must be included in the record of the project approval and it should be referenced in the Notice of Determination. (Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15093.)

7.38 MITIGATION MONITORING OR REPORTING PROGRAM FOR EIR.

When making findings regarding an EIR, the City must do all of the following:
(a) Adopt a reporting or monitoring program to assure that mitigation measures that are required to mitigate or avoid significant effects on the environment will be implemented by the project proponent or other responsible party in a timely manner, in accordance with conditions of project approval;
(b) Make sure all conditions and mitigation measures are feasible and fully enforceable through permit conditions, agreements, or other measures. Such permit conditions, agreements, and measures must be consistent with applicable constitutional requirements such as the “nexus” and “rough proportionality” standards established by case law; and (c) Specify the location and the custodian of the documents which constitute the record of proceedings upon which the City based its decision in the resolution certifying the EIR.

There is no requirement that the reporting or monitoring program be circulated for public review; however, the City may choose to circulate it for public comments along with the Draft EIR. Any mitigation measures required to mitigate or avoid significant effects on the environment shall be adopted and made fully enforceable, such as by being imposed as conditions of project approval.

The adequacy of a mitigation monitoring program is determined by the “rule of reason.” This means that a mitigation monitoring program does not need to provide every imaginable measure. It needs only to provide measures that are reasonably feasible and that are necessary to avoid significant impacts or to reduce the severity of impacts to a less-than-significant level.

The mitigation monitoring or reporting program shall be designed to assure compliance with the mitigation measures during the implementation and construction of the project. If a

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 7-35 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP Responsible Agency or Trustee Agency has required that certain conditions be incorporated into the project, the City may request that agency to prepare and submit a proposed reporting or monitoring program. The City shall also require that, prior to the close of the public review period for a Draft EIR, the Responsible or Trustee Agency submit detailed performance objectives for mitigation measures, or refer the City to appropriate, readily available guidelines or reference documents. Any mitigation measures submitted to the City by a Responsible or Trustee Agency shall be limited to measures that mitigate impacts to resources that are within the Responsible or Trustee Agency’s authority.

When a project is of statewide, regional, or area-wide significance, any transportation information resulting from the reporting or monitoring program required to be adopted by the City shall be submitted to the regional transportation planning agency where the project is located and to the Department of Transportation. The transportation planning agency and the Department of Transportation are required by law to adopt guidelines for the submittal of these reporting or monitoring programs, so the City may wish to tailor its submittal to such guidelines.

Local agencies have the authority to levy fees sufficient to pay for this program. Therefore, the City may impose a program to charge project proponents fees to cover actual costs of program processing and implementation.

The City may delegate reporting or monitoring responsibilities to an agency or to a private entity that accepts the delegation; however, until mitigation measures have been completed, the City remains responsible for ensuring that implementation of the mitigation measures occurs in accordance with the program.

The City may choose whether its program will monitor mitigation, report on mitigation, or both. “Reporting” is defined as a written compliance review that is presented to the Board or an authorized staff person. A report may be required at various stages during project implementation or upon completion of the mitigation measure. Reporting is suited to projects that have readily measurable or quantitative mitigation measures or that already involve regular review. “Monitoring” is generally an ongoing or periodic process of project oversight. Monitoring is suited to projects with complex mitigation measures that may exceed the expertise of the City to oversee, are expected to be implemented over a period of time, or require careful implementation to assure compliance.

At its discretion, the City may adopt standardized policies and requirements to guide individually adopted programs.

Standardized policies or requirements for monitoring and reporting may describe, but are not limited to:
(a) The relative responsibilities of various departments within the City for various aspects of the program;
(b) The responsibilities of the project proponent;
(c) Guidelines adopted by the City to govern preparation of programs; (d) General standards for determining project compliance with the mitigation measures and related conditions of approval;

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 7-36 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (e) Enforcement procedures for noncompliance, including provisions for administrative appeal; and/or
(f) A process for informing the Board and staff of the relative success of mitigation measures and using those results to improve future mitigation measures.

When a project is of statewide, regional, or area-wide importance, any transportation information generated by a mitigation monitoring or reporting program must be submitted to the transportation planning agency in the region where the project is located, as well as to the Department of Transportation.
(Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15097.)

7.39 NOTICE OF DETERMINATION.

After approval of a project for which the City is the Lead Agency, Staff shall cause a Notice of Determination (Form “F”) to be prepared, filed, and posted. The Notice of Determination shall include the following information:
(a) An identification of the project, including its common name, where possible, and its location. If the notice of determination is filed with the State Clearinghouse, the State Clearinghouse identification number for the draft EIR shall be provided. (b) A brief description of the project;
(c) The City’s name and the applicant’s name (if any). If different from the applicant, the Notice of Determination shall further provide, if applicable, the identity of the person undertaking the project that is supported, in whole or in part, through contracts, grants, subsidies, loans, or other forms of assistance from one or more public agencies, or the identity of the person receiving a lease, permit, license, certificate, or other entitlement for use from one or more public agencies.
(d) The date when the City approved the project;
(e) Whether the project in its approved form with mitigation will have a significant effect on the environment;
(f) A statement that an EIR was prepared and certified pursuant to the provisions of CEQA; (g) Whether mitigation measures were made a condition of the approval of the project, and whether a mitigation monitoring plan/program was adopted; (h) Whether findings were made and/or whether a Statement of Overriding Considerations was adopted for the project; and
(i) The address where a copy of the EIR (with comments and responses) and the record of project approval may be examined by the general public.

The Notice of Determination shall be filed with (1) the Clerk of each county in which the project will be located within five (5) working days of project approval; and (2) with the State Clearinghouse in the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation. (To determine the fees that must be paid with the filing of the Notice of Determination, see Local Guidelines Section 7.42 and the Staff Summary of the CEQA Process.) The County Clerk is required to post the Notice of Determination within twenty-four (24) hours of receipt. The Notice must be posted in the office of the Clerk for a minimum of thirty (30) days. Thereafter, the Clerk shall return the notice to the

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 7-37 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP City with a notation of the period it was posted. The City shall retain the notice for not less than twelve (12) months.

Simultaneously with the filing of the Notice of Determination with the Clerk, Staff shall cause a copy of such Notice to be posted at City Offices. If the project requires discretionary approval from a state agency, the Notice of Determination shall also be filed electronically with the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation within five (5) working days of project approval, along with proof that the City has paid the County Clerk the DFW fee or a completed form from DFW documenting DFW’s determination that the project will have no effect on fish and wildlife. (If the City submits the Notice of Determination in person, the City may bring an extra copy to be date stamped by LCI.)
When a request is made for a copy of the Notice of Determination prior to the date on which the City approves the project, the copy must be mailed, first class postage prepaid, within five (5) days of the City’s approval. If such a request is made following the City’s approval of the project, then the copy should be mailed in the same manner as soon as possible. The recipients of such documents may be charged a fee reasonably related to the cost of providing the service.

The City, when acting as lead agency, must post its Notice of Determination for a project on its website.

For projects with more than one phase, Staff shall file a Notice of Determination for each phase requiring a discretionary approval. The filing and posting of a Notice of Determination with the Clerk, and, if necessary, with LCI, usually starts a thirty (30) day statute of limitations on court challenges to the approval under CEQA. When separate notices are filed for successive phases of the same overall project, the thirty (30) day statute of limitation to challenge the subsequent phase begins to run when the second notice is filed. Failure to file the Notice may result in a one hundred eighty (180) day statute of limitations.
(Reference: Pub. Resources Code, §§ 21092.2, 21108; State CEQA Guidelines, § 15094.)

7.40 DISPOSITION OF A FINAL EIR.

The City shall file a copy of the Final EIR with the appropriate planning agency of any city or county where significant effects on the environment may occur. The City shall also retain one or more copies of the Final EIR as a public record for a reasonable period of time. Finally, for private projects, the City may require that the project applicant provide a copy of the certified Final EIR to each Responsible Agency.
(Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15095.)

7.41 PRIVATE PROJECT COSTS.

For private projects, the person or entity proposing to carry out the project shall be charged a reasonable fee to recover the estimated costs incurred by the City in preparing, circulating, and filing the Draft and Final EIRs, as well as all publication costs incident thereto.

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7.42 FILING FEES FOR PROJECTS THAT AFFECT WILDLIFE RESOURCES.

At the time a Notice of Determination for an EIR is filed with the County or Counties in which the project is located, a fee of $4,123.50, or the then applicable fee, shall be paid to the Clerk for projects that will adversely affect fish or wildlife resources. These fees are collected by the Clerk on behalf of DFW.

Only one filing fee is required for each project unless the project is tiered or phased and separate environmental documents are prepared. For projects where Responsible Agencies file separate Notices of Determination, only the Lead Agency is required to pay the fee.

Note: County Clerks are authorized to charge a documentary handling fee for each project in addition to the Fish and Wildlife fees specified above. Refer to the Index in the Staff Summary to help determine the correct total amount of fees applicable to the project.

For private projects, the City should pass these costs on to the project applicant.

No fees are required for projects with “no effect” on fish or wildlife resources or for certain projects undertaken by the DFW and implemented through a contract with a non-profit entity or local government agency. (See Local Guidelines Section 6.24 for more information regarding a “no effect” determination.)

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8. TYPES OF EIRS

8.01 EIRS GENERALLY.

This chapter describes a number of examples of various EIRs tailored to different situations. All of these types of EIRs must meet the applicable requirements of Chapter 7 of these Local Guidelines.

8.02 TIERING.
(a) Tiering Generally.

“Tiering” refers to using the analysis of general matters contained in a previously certified broader EIR in later EIRs, Negative Declarations, or Mitigated Negative Declarations prepared for narrower projects. The later EIR, Negative Declaration, or Mitigated Negative Declaration may incorporate by reference the general discussions from the broader EIR and may concentrate solely on the issues specific to the later project.

An Initial Study shall be prepared for the later project and used to determine whether a previously certified EIR may be used and whether new significant effects should be examined.

Tiering does not excuse the City from adequately analyzing reasonably foreseeable significant environmental effects of a project, nor does it justify deferring analysis to a later tier EIR, Negative Declaration, or Mitigated Negative Declaration. However, the level of detail contained in a first- tier EIR need not be greater than that of the program, plan, policy, or ordinance being analyzed.

When the City is using the tiering process in connection with an EIR for a large-scale planning approval, such as a general plan or component thereof (e.g., an area plan, specific plan or community plan), the development of detailed, site-specific information may not be feasible. Such site-specific information can be deferred, in many instances, until such time as the Lead Agency prepares a future environmental document in connection with a project of a more limited geographical scale, as long as deferral does not prevent adequate identification of significant effects of the planning approval at hand.
(b) Identifying New Significant Impacts.

When assessing whether there is a new significant cumulative effect for purposes of a subsequent tier environmental document, the Lead Agency shall consider whether the incremental effects of the project would be considerable when viewed in the context of past, present, and probable future projects.

A Lead Agency may use only a valid CEQA document as a first-tier document.

Accordingly, the City, in its role as Lead Agency, should carefully review the first-tier environmental document to determine whether or not the statute of limitations for challenging the document has run. If the statute of limitations has not expired, the City should use the first-tier document with caution and pay careful attention to the legal status of the document. If the first- tier document is subsequently invalidated, any later environmental document may also be defective.

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 8-2 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (c) Infill Projects and Tiering.

Certain “infill” projects may tier off of a previously certified EIR. An “infill” project is defined as a project with residential, retail, and/or commercial uses, a transit station, a school, or a public office building. It must be located in an urban area on a previously developed site or on an undeveloped site that is surrounded by developed uses. The project must be either consistent with land use planning strategies that achieve greenhouse gas (“GHG”) emission reduction targets, feature a small walkable community project, or where a sustainable communities or alternative planning strategy has not yet been adopted for the area, include a residential density of at least 20 units per acre or a floor area ratio of at least 0.75. The project must also meet a number of standards related to energy efficiency that are not yet defined but which SB 226 directs the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to prepare.

If an EIR was certified for a planning level decision by a city or county (such as a General Plan or Specific Plan), the scope of the CEQA review for a later “infill” project can be limited to those effects on the environment that: 1) are specific to the project or to the project site and were not addressed as significant effects in the prior EIR; or 2) substantial new information shows will be more significant than described in the prior EIR.

When a project meets the definition of “infill” and either of the above conditions exist but a Mitigated Negative Declaration cannot be adopted, then the subsequent EIR for such a project need not consider alternative locations, densities, and building intensities or growth-inducing impacts.
(d) Statement of Overriding Considerations.

A Lead Agency may also tier off of a previously prepared Statement of Overriding Considerations if certain conditions are met. (See Local Guidelines Section 7.37.) (Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15152.)

8.03 PROJECT EIR.

The most common type of EIR examines the environmental impacts of a specific development project and focuses primarily on the changes in the environment that would result from the development project. This type of EIR must examine all phases of the project, including planning, construction, and operation.

If the EIR for a redevelopment plan is a Project EIR, all public and private activities or undertakings pursuant to or in furtherance of the Redevelopment Plan shall constitute a single project, which shall be deemed approved at the time of the adoption of the Redevelopment Plan.

Although the City will probably not act as a Lead Agency for a Redevelopment Plan, the City may act as a Responsible Agency.
(Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, §§ 15161, 15180.)

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8.04 SUBSEQUENT EIR.

A Subsequent EIR is required when a previous EIR has been prepared and certified, or a Negative Declaration or Mitigated Negative Declaration has been adopted, for a project and at least one of the three following situations occur:
(a) Substantial changes are proposed in the project which will require major revisions of a previous EIR due to the identification of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects; (b) Substantial changes occur with respect to the circumstances under which the project is to be undertaken which will require major revisions of a previous EIR due to the identification of new significant environmental effects or a substantial increase in the severity of previously identified significant effects; or
(c) New information, which was not known and could not have been known with the exercise of reasonable diligence at the time the previous EIR was certified as complete or the Negative Declaration/Mitigated Negative Declaration was adopted, becomes available and shows any of the following:
(1) the project will have one or more significant effects not discussed in a previous EIR, Negative Declaration, or Mitigated Negative Declaration; (2) significant effects previously examined will be substantially more severe than shown in a previous EIR;
(3) mitigation measures or alternatives previously found not to be feasible are in fact feasible and would substantially reduce one or more significant effects, but the project proponent declines to adopt the mitigation measures or alternatives; or (4) mitigation measures or alternatives which were not considered in a previous EIR would substantially lessen one or more significant effects on the environment, but the project proponent declines to adopt the mitigation measures or alternatives.

A Subsequent EIR must receive the same circulation and review as the previous EIR received. As a potential tool to determine whether a Subsequent EIR is required, see Form J-1 of these Local Guidelines.

In instances where the City is evaluating a modification or revision to an existing use permit, the City may consider only those environmental impacts related to the changes between what was allowed under the old permit and what is requested under the new permit. Only if these differential impacts fall within the categories described above may the City require additional environmental review.

When the City is considering approval of a development project that is consistent with a general plan for which an EIR was completed, another EIR is required only if the project causes environmental effects peculiar to the parcel which were not addressed in the prior EIR or substantial new information shows the effects peculiar to the parcel will be more significant than described in the prior EIR. (Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15162.)

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8.05 SUPPLEMENTAL EIR.

The City may choose to prepare a Supplemental EIR, rather than a Subsequent EIR, if any of the conditions described in Local Guidelines Section 8.04 have occurred but only minor additions or changes would be necessary to make the previous EIR adequately apply to the project in the changed situation. To assist the City in making this determination, the decision-making body should request an Initial Study and/or a recommendation by Staff. The Supplemental EIR need contain only the information necessary to make the previous EIR adequate for the project as revised.

A Supplemental EIR shall be given the same kind of notice and public review as is given to a Draft EIR but may be circulated by itself without recirculating the previous EIR.

When the decision-making body decides whether to approve the project, it shall consider the previous EIR as revised by the Supplemental EIR. Findings shall be made for each significant effect identified in the Supplemental EIR.
(Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15163.)

8.06 ADDENDUM TO AN EIR.

The City shall prepare an Addendum to a previously certified EIR, rather than a Subsequent or Supplemental EIR, only if changes or additions to the EIR are necessary, but none of the conditions described in Local Guidelines Section 8.04 or 8.05 calling for preparation of a Subsequent or Supplemental EIR have occurred. Since significant effects on the environment were addressed by findings in the original EIR, no new findings are required in the Addendum.

An Addendum to an EIR need not be circulated for public review but should be included in or attached to the Final EIR. The decision-making body shall consider the Addendum with the Final EIR prior to making a decision on a project. A brief explanation of the decision not to prepare a Subsequent EIR or a Supplemental EIR should be included in the Addendum, the Lead Agency’s findings on the project, or elsewhere in the record. This explanation must be supported by substantial evidence.
(Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15164.)

8.07 STAGED EIR.

When a large capital project will require a number of discretionary approvals from governmental agencies and one of the approvals will occur more than two years before construction will begin, a Staged EIR may be prepared. The Staged EIR covers the entire project in a general form or manner. A Staged EIR should evaluate a proposal in light of current and contemplated plans and produce an informed estimate of the environmental consequences of an entire project. The particular aspect of the project before the City for approval shall be discussed with a greater degree of specificity.

When a Staged EIR has been prepared, a Supplemental EIR shall be prepared when a later approval is required for the project and the information available at the time of the later approval

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 8-5 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP would permit consideration of additional environmental impacts, mitigation measures, or reasonable alternatives to the project.
(Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15167.)

8.08 PROGRAM EIR.

A Program EIR is an EIR that may be prepared on an integrated series of actions that are related either:
(a) Geographically;
(b) As logical parts in a chain of contemplated actions; (c) In connection with the issuance of rules, regulations, plans or other general criteria to govern the conduct of a continuing program; or
(d) As individual projects carried out under the same authorizing statutory or regulatory authority and having generally similar environmental effects that can be mitigated in similar ways.

An advantage of using a Program EIR is that it can “[a]llow the Lead Agency to consider broad policy alternatives and program wide mitigation measures at an early time when the agency has greater flexibility to deal with basic problems or cumulative impacts.” (State CEQA Guidelines section 15168(b)(4).) A Program EIR is distinct from a Project EIR, as a Project EIR is prepared for a specific project and must examine in detail site-specific considerations. Program EIRs are commonly used in conjunction with the process of tiering.

Tiering is the coverage of general matters in broader EIRs (such as on general plans or policy statements) with subsequent narrower EIRs. (State CEQA Guidelines section 15385; see also Local Guidelines Sections 8.02 and 11.73.) Tiering is proper “when it helps a public agency to focus upon the issues ripe for decision at each level of environmental review and in order to exclude duplicative analysis of environmental effects examined in previous environmental impact reports.” (Pub. Res. Code, § 21093(a).) For example, the California Supreme Court has ruled that “CEQA does not mandate that a first-tier program EIR identify with certainty particular sources of water for second-tier projects that will be further analyzed before implementation during later stages of the program. Rather, identification of specific sources is required only at the second-tier stage when specific projects are considered.” (In re Bay-Delta etc. (2008) 43 Cal. 4th 1143.) Subsequent activities in the program must be examined in light of the Program EIR to determine whether additional environmental documents must be prepared. Additional environmental review documents must be prepared if the proposed later project may arguably cause significant adverse effects on the environment.
(Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15168.)

8.09 USE OF A PROGRAM EIR WITH SUBSEQUENT EIRS AND NEGATIVE DECLARATIONS.

A Program EIR can be used to simplify the task of preparing environmental documents on later activities in the program. The Program EIR can:

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 8-6 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (a) Provide the basis for an Initial Study to determine whether the later activity may have any significant effects;
(b) Be incorporated by reference to deal with regional influences, secondary effects, cumulative impacts, broad alternatives and other factors that apply to the program as a whole; or
(c) Focus an EIR on a later activity to permit discussion solely of new effects which had not been considered before.

If a Program EIR is prepared for a redevelopment plan, subsequent activities in the redevelopment program will be subject to review if they would have effects that were not examined in the Program EIR. Where the later activities involve site-specific operations, the City should use a written checklist or similar device to document the evaluation of the site and the proposed activity to determine whether the environmental effects of the operation were within the scope of the Program EIR. If a later activity would have effects that were not examined in the Program EIR, a new Initial Study would need to be prepared leading to an EIR, Negative Declaration, or Mitigated Negative Declaration. That later analysis may tier from the Program EIR as provided in State CEQA Guidelines section 15152.

If the City finds that no Subsequent EIR would be required, the City can approve the activity as being within the scope of the project covered by the Program EIR, and no new environmental document is required. (See Local Guidelines Section 8.04.) Whether a later activity is within the scope of a Program EIR is a factual question that the Lead Agency determines based on substantial evidence in the record. Factors that the Lead Agency may consider in making that determination include, but are not limited to, consistency of the later activity with the type of allowable land use, overall planned density and building intensity, geographic area analyzed for environmental impacts, and covered infrastructure, as described in the Program EIR. (Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15168.)

8.10 USE OF AN EIR FROM AN EARLIER PROJECT.

A single EIR may be used to describe more than one project when the projects involve substantially identical environmental impacts. Any environmental impacts peculiar to one of the projects must be separately set forth and explained.
(Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15165.)

8.11 MASTER EIR.

A Master EIR is an EIR which may be prepared for:
(a) A general plan (including elements and amendments); (b) A specific plan;
(c) A project consisting of smaller individual projects to be phased; (d) A regulation to be implemented by subsequent projects; (e) A project to be carried out pursuant to a development agreement; (f) A project pursuant to or furthering a redevelopment plan; (g) A state highway or mass transit project subject to multiple reviews or approvals; or

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 8-7 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (h) A regional transportation plan or congestion management plan.

A Master EIR must do both of the following:
(a) Describe and present sufficient information about anticipated subsequent projects within its scope, including their size, location, intensity, and scheduling; and (b) Preliminarily describe potential impacts of anticipated subsequent projects for which insufficient information is available to support a full impact assessment.

The City and Responsible Agencies identified in the Master EIR may use the Master EIR to limit environmental review of subsequent projects. However, the Lead Agency for the subsequent project must prepare an Initial Study to determine whether the subsequent project and its significant environmental effects were included in the Master EIR. If the Lead Agency for the subsequent project finds that the subsequent project will have no additional significant environmental effect and that no new mitigation measures or alternatives may be required, it may prepare written findings to that effect without preparing a new environmental document. When the Lead Agency makes this finding, it must provide public notice of the availability of its proposed finding for public review and comment in the same manner as if it were providing public notice of the availability of a draft EIR. (See Sections 15177(d) and 15087 of the State CEQA Guidelines and Section 7.25 of these Local Guidelines.)
A previously certified Master EIR cannot be relied upon to limit review of a subsequent project if:
(a) A project not identified in the certified Master EIR has been approved and that project may affect the adequacy of the Master EIR for the subsequent project now under consideration; or
(b) The Master EIR was certified more than five (5) years before the filing of an application for the subsequent project, unless the City reviews the adequacy of the Master EIR and:
(1) Finds that, since the Master EIR was certified, no substantial changes have occurred that would cause the subsequent project to have significant environmental impacts, and there is no new information that the subsequent project would have significant environmental impacts; or (2) Prepares an Initial Study and either certifies a Subsequent or Supplemental EIR or adopts a Mitigated Negative Declaration that addresses any substantial changes or new information that would cause the subsequent project to have potentially significant environmental impacts. The certified subsequent or supplemental EIR must either be incorporated into the previously certified Master EIR or the City must identify any deletions, additions or other modifications to the previously certified Master EIR in the new document. The City may include a section in the subsequent or supplemental EIR that identifies these changes to the previously certified Master EIR.

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 8-8 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP When the Lead Agency cannot find that the subsequent project will have no additional significant environmental effect and no new mitigation measures or alternatives will be required, it must prepare either a Mitigated Negative Declaration or an EIR for the subsequent project. (Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15175.)

8.12 FOCUSED EIR.

A Focused EIR is an EIR for a subsequent project identified in a Master EIR. It may be used only if the City finds that the Master EIR’s analysis of cumulative, growth-inducing, and irreversible significant environmental effects is adequate for the subsequent project. The Focused EIR must incorporate by reference the Master EIR.

The Focused EIR must analyze additional significant environmental effects not addressed in the Master EIR and any new mitigation measures or alternatives not included in the Master EIR. “Additional significant effects on the environment” means those project-specific effects on the environment that were not addressed as significant effects on the environment in the Master EIR.

The Focused EIR must also examine the following:
(a) Significant effects discussed in the Master EIR for which substantial new information exists that shows those effects may be more significant than described in the Master EIR; (b) Those mitigation measures found to be infeasible in the Master EIR for which substantial new information exists that shows the effects may be more significant than described in the Master EIR; and
(c) Those mitigation measures found to be infeasible in the Master EIR for which substantial new information exists that shows those measures may now be feasible.

The Focused EIR need not examine the following effects:
(a) Those that were mitigated through Master EIR mitigation measures; or (b) Those that were examined in the Master EIR in sufficient detail to allow project-specific mitigation or for which mitigation was found to be the responsibility of another agency.

A Focused EIR may be prepared for a multifamily residential project not exceeding 100 units or a mixed use residential project not exceeding 100,000 square feet even though the project was not identified in a Master EIR, if the following conditions are met:
(a) The project is consistent with a general plan, specific plan, community plan, or zoning ordinance for which an EIR was prepared within five (5) years of the Focused EIR’s certification;
(b) The project does not require the preparation of a Subsequent or Supplemental EIR; and (c) The parcel is surrounded by immediately contiguous urban development, was previously developed with urban uses, or is within one-half mile of a rail transit station.

A Focused EIR for these projects should be limited to potentially significant effects that are project-specific and/or which substantial new information shows will be more significant than

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 8-9 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP described in the Master EIR. No discussion shall be required of alternatives to the project, cumulative impacts of the project, or the growth-inducing impacts of the project. (Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15179.5.)

8.13 SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR REDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.

An EIR for a redevelopment plan may be a Master EIR, Program EIR or Project EIR. An EIR for a redevelopment plan must specify whether it is a Master EIR, a Program EIR or a Project EIR. Normally, the City will not be a Lead Agency for a redevelopment plan. However, if the City is a Responsible Agency on such a project, the City should endeavor to ensure that the county and/or applicable city as the case may be, as Lead Agency, analyzes these impacts in accordance with CEQA.

If a Program EIR is prepared for a redevelopment plan, subsequent activities in the redevelopment program will be subject to review if they would have effects that were not examined in the Program EIR. The Lead Agency should use a written checklist or similar device to document the evaluation of the site and the proposed activity to determine whether the environmental effects of the operation were indeed covered in the Program EIR. If the Lead Agency finds that no new effects could occur, no new mitigation measures would be required or that State CEQA Guidelines sections 15162 and 15163 do not otherwise apply, the Lead Agency can approve the activity as being within the scope of the project covered by the Program EIR, and no new environmental document is required.

If the EIR for a redevelopment plan is a Project EIR, all public and private activities or undertakings pursuant to or in furtherance of the Redevelopment Plan shall constitute a single project, which shall be deemed approved at the time of the adoption of the Redevelopment Plan.

Once certified, no subsequent EIRs will be needed unless required by State CEQA Guidelines sections 15162 or 15163. If a Master EIR is prepared for a redevelopment plan, subsequent projects will be subject to review if they would have effects that were not examined in the Master EIR. If no new effects could occur or no new mitigation measures would be required, the Lead Agency can approve the activity as being within the scope of the project covered by the Master EIR, and no new environmental document is required.
(Reference: State CEQA Guidelines, § 15180.)

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9. AFFORDABLE HOUSING

9.01 STREAMLINED, MINISTERIAL APPROVAL PROCESS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS The legislature has provided reforms and incentives to facilitate and expedite the approval and construction of affordable housing.

(a) An applicant may submit an application for a development that is subject to the streamlined, ministerial approval process and is not subject to a conditional use permit or any other non-legislative discretionary approval if the development satisfies all of the following objective planning standards:

(i) The development is a multifamily housing development that contains two or more residential units.

(ii) The development is located on a site that satisfies the following:

(A) A site that is a legal parcel or parcels located in a city if, and only if, the city boundaries include some portion of either an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the United States Census Bureau, or, for unincorporated areas, a legal parcel or parcels wholly within the boundaries of an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the United States Census Bureau.

(B) A site in which at least 75 percent of the perimeter of the site adjoins parcels that are developed with urban uses. For the purposes of this section, parcels that are only separated by a street or highway shall be considered to be adjoined.

(C))(1) A site that meets the requirements of clause (2) and satisfies any of the following:

(I) The site is zoned for residential use or residential mixed-use development.

(II) The site has a general plan designation that allows residential use or a mix of residential and nonresidential uses.

(III) The site is zoned for office or retail commercial use and meets the requirements of Gov. Code section 65852.24.

(2) At least two-thirds of the square footage of the development designated for residential use. Additional density, floor area, and units, and any other concession, incentive, or waiver of development standards granted pursuant to the Density Bonus Law in Government Code section 65915 shall be included in the square footage calculation. The square footage of the development shall not include underground space, such as basements or underground parking garages.

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-2 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (iii) If the development contains units that are subsidized, the development proponent already has recorded, or is required by law to record, a land use restriction or covenant providing that any lower or moderate income housing units required pursuant to subparagraph B of Paragraph (iv) of this Subsection shall remain available at affordable housing costs or rent to persons and families of lower or moderate income for the following applicable minimum durations:

(A) Fifty-five years for units that are rented.

(B) Forty-five years for units that are owned.

(iv) The development satisfies subparagraphs (A) and (B) below:

(A) The development is located in a locality that the department has determined is subject to this subparagraph on the basis that the number of units that have been issued building permits, as shown on the most recent production report received by the department, is less than the locality’s share of the regional housing needs, by income category, for that reporting period. A locality shall remain eligible under this subparagraph until the department’s determination for the next reporting period. A locality shall be subject to this subparagraph if it has not submitted an annual housing element report to the department pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 65400 for at least two consecutive years before the development submitted an application for approval under this section.

(B) The development is subject to a requirement mandating a minimum percentage of below market rate housing based on one of the following:

(1) The locality did not submit its latest production report to the department by the time period required by Government Code section 65400, or that production report reflects that there were fewer units of above moderate-income housing approved than were required for the regional housing needs assessment cycle for that reporting period. In addition, if the project contains more than 10 units of housing, the project does either of the following:

A. The project dedicates a minimum of 10 percent of the total number of units, before calculating any density bonus, to housing affordable to households making at or below 80 percent of the area median income.

However, if the locality has adopted a local ordinance that requires that greater than 10 percent of the units be dedicated to housing affordable to households making below 80 percent of the area median income, that local ordinance applies.

B. If the project is located within the San Francisco Bay area, the project, in lieu of complying with subclause (A), dedicates 20 percent of the total number of units, before calculating any density bonus, to

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-3 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP housing affordable to households making below 120 percent of the area median income with the average income of the units at or below 100 percent of the area median income. However, a local ordinance adopted by the locality applies if it requires greater than 20 percent of the units be dedicated to housing affordable to households making at or below 120 percent of the area median income, or requires that any of the units be dedicated at a level deeper than 120 percent. In order to comply with this subclause, the rent or sale price charged for units that are dedicated to housing affordable to households between 80 percent and 120 percent of the area median income shall not exceed 30 percent of the gross income of the household. For purposes of this subclause, “San Francisco Bay area” means the entire area within the territorial boundaries of the Counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma, and the City and County of San Francisco.

(2) The locality did not submit its latest production report to the department by the time period required by Government Code section 65400, or that production report reflects that there were fewer units of housing affordable to households making at or below 80 percent of the area median income that were issued building permits than were required for the regional housing needs assessment cycle for that reporting period, and the project seeking approval dedicates 50 percent of the total number of units, before calculating any density bonus, to housing affordable to households making at or below 80 percent of the area median income. However, if the locality has adopted a local ordinance that requires that greater than 50 percent of the units be dedicated to housing affordable to households making at or below 80 percent of the area median income, that ordinance applies.

(3) The locality did not submit its latest production report to the department by the time period required by Government Code section 65400, or if the production report reflects that there were fewer units of housing affordable to any income level described in clause (i) or (ii) that were issued building permits than were required for the regional housing needs assessment cycle for that reporting period, the project seeking approval may choose between utilizing clause (i) or (ii).

(C)(i) A development proponent that uses a unit of affordable housing to satisfy the requirements of subparagraph (B) may also satisfy any other local or state requirement for affordable housing, including local ordinances or the Density Bonus Law in Government Code section 65915, provided that the development proponent complies with the applicable requirements in the state or local law.

(C)(ii) A development proponent that uses a unit of affordable housing to satisfy any other state or local affordability requirement may also

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-4 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP satisfy the requirements of subparagraph (B), provided that the development proponent complies with applicable requirements of subparagraph (B).

(C)(iii) A development proponent may satisfy the affordability requirements of subparagraph (B) with a unit that is restricted to households with incomes lower than the applicable income limits required in subparagraph (B).

(v) The development, excluding any additional density or any other concessions, incentives, or waivers of development standards granted pursuant to the Density Bonus Law in Government Code section 65915, is consistent with objective zoning standards and objective design review standards in effect at the time that the development is submitted to the local government pursuant to this section. For purposes of this paragraph, “objective zoning standards” and “objective design review standards” mean standards that involve no personal or subjective judgment by a public official and are uniformly verifiable by reference to an external and uniform benchmark or criterion available and knowable by both the development applicant or proponent and the public official prior to submittal. These standards may be embodied in alternative objective land use specifications adopted by a city or county, and may include, but are not limited to, housing overlay zones, specific plans, inclusionary zoning ordinances, and density bonus ordinances, subject to the following:

(A) A development shall be deemed consistent with the objective zoning standards related to housing density, as applicable, if the density proposed is compliant with the maximum density allowed within that land use designation, notwithstanding any specified maximum unit allocation that may result in fewer units of housing being permitted.

(B) In the event that objective zoning, general plan, or design review standards are mutually inconsistent, a development shall be deemed consistent with the objective zoning standards pursuant to this section if the development is consistent with the standards set forth in the general plan.

(C) A project that satisfies the requirements of Government Code section 65852.24 shall be deemed consistent with objective zoning standards, objective design standards, and objective subdivision standards if the project is consistent with the provisions of subdivision (b) of Government Code section 65852.24 and if none of the square footage in the project is designated for hotel, motel, bed and breakfast inn, or other transient lodging use, except for a residential hotel. For purposes of this subdivision, “residential hotel” shall have the same meaning as defined in Section 50519 of the Health and Safety Code.

(vi) The development is not located on a site that is any of the following:

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-5 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (A) A coastal zone, as defined in Division 20 (commencing with Section 30000) of the Public Resources Code.

(B) Either prime farmland or farmland of statewide importance, as defined pursuant to United States Department of Agriculture land inventory and monitoring criteria, as modified for California, and designated on the maps prepared by the Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program of the Department of Conservation, or land zoned or designated for agricultural protection or preservation by a local ballot measure that was approved by the voters of that jurisdiction.

(C) Wetlands, as defined in the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Manual.

(D) Within a very high fire hazard severity zone, as determined by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection pursuant to Section 51178, or within a high or very high fire hazard severity zone as indicated on maps adopted by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection pursuant to Section 4202 of the Public Resources Code. This subparagraph does not apply to sites excluded from the specified hazard zones by a local agency, pursuant to subdivision (b) of Government Code section 51179, or sites that have adopted fire hazard mitigation measures pursuant to existing building standards or state fire mitigation measures applicable to the development.

(E) A hazardous waste site that is listed pursuant to Government Code section 65962.5 or a hazardous waste site designated by the Department of Toxic Substances Control pursuant to Section 25356 of the Health and Safety Code, unless either of the following apply:

(i) The site is an underground storage tank site that received a uniform closure letter issued pursuant to subdivision (g) of Section 25296.10 of the Health and Safety Code based on closure criteria established by the State Water Resources Control Board for residential use or residential mixed uses. This section does not alter or change the conditions to remove a site from the list of hazardous waste sites listed pursuant to Government Code section 65962.5; or

(ii) The State Department of Public Health, State Water Resources Control Board, Department of Toxic Substances Control, or a local agency making a determination pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 25296.10 of the Health and Safety Code, has otherwise determined that the site is suitable for residential use or residential mixed uses.
.

(F) Within a delineated earthquake fault zone as determined by the State Geologist in any official maps published by the State Geologist, unless the development complies with applicable seismic protection building code standards

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-6 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP adopted by the California Building Standards Commission under the California Building Standards Law, Health and Safety Code section 18901, and by any local building department under Chapter 12.2 (commencing with Section 8875) of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code.

(G) Within a flood plain as determined by maps promulgated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, unless the development has been issued a flood plain development permit pursuant to Code of Federal Regulations section

59.1. (H) Within a floodway as determined by maps promulgated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, unless the development has received a no-rise certification in accordance with Code of Federal Regulations section

60.3(d)(3).

(I) Lands identified for conservation in an adopted natural community conservation plan pursuant to the Natural Community Conservation Planning Act, Fish and Game Code section 2800, habitat conservation plan pursuant to the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1531 et seq.), or other adopted natural resource protection plan.

(J) Habitat for protected species identified as candidate, sensitive, or species of special status by state or federal agencies, fully protected species, or species protected by the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1531 et seq.), the California Endangered Species Act, Fish and Game Code section 2050, or the Native Plant Protection Act, Fish and Game Code section 1900.

(K) Lands under conservation easement.

(vii) The development is not located on a site where any of the following apply:

(A) The development would require the demolition of the following types of housing:

(1) Housing that is subject to a recorded covenant, ordinance, or law that restricts rents to levels affordable to persons and families of moderate, low, or very low income.

(2) Housing that is subject to any form of rent or price control through a public entity’s valid exercise of its police power.

(3) Housing that has been occupied by tenants within the past 10 years.

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-7 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (B) The site was previously used for housing that was occupied by tenants that was demolished within 10 years before the development proponent submits an application under this section.

(C) The development would require the demolition of a historic structure that was placed on a national, state, or local historic register.

(D) The property contains housing units that are occupied by tenants, and units at the property are, or were, subsequently offered for sale to the general public by the subdivider or subsequent owner of the property.

(viii) The applicant has done both of the following, as applicable:

(A) Certified to the locality that either of the following is true, as applicable:

(1) The entirety of the development is a public work for purposes of Labor Code section 1720.

(2) If the development is not in its entirety a public work, that all construction workers employed in the execution of the development will be paid at least the general prevailing rate of per diem wages for the type of work and geographic area, as determined by the Director of Industrial Relations pursuant to Labor Code sections 1773 and 1773.9, except that apprentices registered in programs approved by the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards may be paid at least the applicable apprentice prevailing rate. If the development is subject to this subparagraph, then for those portions of the development that are not a public work all of the following shall apply:

(I) The development proponent shall ensure that the
prevailing wage requirement is included in all contracts for the performance of the work.

(II) All contractors and subcontractors shall pay to all construction workers employed in the execution of the work at least the general prevailing rate of per diem wages, except that apprentices registered in programs approved by the Chief of the Division of Apprenticeship Standards may be paid at least the applicable apprentice prevailing rate.

(III) Except as provided in subsection (V), all contractors and subcontractors shall maintain and verify payroll records pursuant to Labor Code section 1776 and make those records available for inspection and copying as provided in therein.

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-8 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (IV) Except as provided in subsection (V), the obligation of the contractors and subcontractors to pay prevailing wages may be enforced by the Labor Commissioner through the issuance of a civil wage and penalty assessment pursuant to Labor Code section 1741, which may be reviewed pursuant to Labor Code section 1742, within 18 months after the completion of the development, by an underpaid worker through an administrative complaint or civil action, or by a joint labor-management committee through a civil action under Labor Code section 1771.2. If a civil wage and penalty assessment is issued, the contractor, subcontractor, and surety on a bond or bonds issued to secure the payment of wages covered by the assessment shall be liable for liquidated damages pursuant to Labor Code section 1742.1.

(V) Subsections (III) and (IV) shall not apply if all
contractors and subcontractors performing work on the development are subject to a project labor agreement that requires the payment of prevailing wages to all construction workers employed in the execution of the development and provides for enforcement of that obligation through an arbitration procedure. For purposes of this clause, “project labor agreement” has the same meaning as set forth in Public Contract Code section 2500(b)(1).

(VI) Notwithstanding Labor Code section 1773.1,
subdivision (c), the requirement that employer payments not reduce the obligation to pay the hourly straight time or overtime wages found to be prevailing shall not apply if otherwise provided in a bona fide collective bargaining agreement covering the worker. The requirement to pay at least the general prevailing rate of per diem wages does not preclude use of an alternative workweek schedule adopted pursuant to Labor Code section 511 or 514.

(B)(1) For developments for which any of the following conditions apply, certified that a skilled and trained workforce shall be used to complete the development if the application is approved:

(I) On and after January 1, 2018, until December 31, 2021, the development consists of 75 or more units that are not 100 percent subsidized affordable housing and will be located within a jurisdiction located in a coastal or bay county with a population of 225,000 or more.

(II) On and after January 1, 2023, until December 31, 2025, the development consists of 50 or more units that are not 100 percent subsidized affordable housing and will be located within a jurisdiction located in a coastal or bay county with a population of 225,000 or more.

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-9 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (III) On and after January 1, 2018, until December 31, 2019, the development consists of 75 or more units that are not 100 percent subsidized affordable housing and will be located within a jurisdiction with a population of fewer than 550,000 and that is not located in a coastal or bay county.

(IV) On and after January 1, 2020, until December 31, 2021, the development consists of more than 50 units and will be located within a jurisdiction with a population of fewer than 550,000 and that is not located in a coastal or bay county.

(V) On and after January 1, 2023, until December 31, 2025, the development consists of more than 25 units and will be located within a jurisdiction with a population of fewer than 550,000 and that is not located in a coastal bay county.

(2) For purposes of this section, “skilled and trained workforce” has the same meaning as provided in the Public Contract Code section 2600.

(3) If the development proponent has certified that a skilled and trained workforce will be used to complete the development and the application is approved, the following shall apply:

(I) The applicant shall require in all contracts for the performance of work that every contractor and subcontractor at every tier will individually use a skilled and trained workforce to complete the development.

(II) Every contractor and subcontractor shall use a skilled and trained workforce to complete the development.

(III) Except as provided in subdivision (IV), the applicant shall provide to the locality, on a monthly basis while the development or contract is being performed, a report demonstrating compliance with Public Contract Code section 2600. A monthly report provided to the locality pursuant to this subclause shall be a public record under the California Public Records Act. (Government Code section 7920.000, et seq.) and shall be open to public inspection. An applicant that fails to provide a monthly report demonstrating compliance with Public Contract Code section 2600 shall be subject to a civil penalty of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) per month for each month for which the report has not been provided. Any contractor or subcontractor that fails to use a skilled and trained workforce shall be subject to a civil penalty of two hundred dollars ($200) per day for each worker employed in contravention of the skilled and trained workforce requirement. Penalties may be assessed by the Labor Commissioner within 18 months of completion of the development using the same procedures for

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-10 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP issuance of civil wage and penalty assessments pursuant to Labor Code section 1741, and may be reviewed pursuant to the same procedures in Labor Code section 1742. Penalties shall be paid to the State Public Works Enforcement Fund.

(IV) Subdivision (III) shall not apply if all contractors and subcontractors performing work on the development are subject to a project labor agreement that requires compliance with the skilled and trained workforce requirement and provides for enforcement of that obligation through an arbitration procedure. For purposes of this subparagraph, “project labor agreement” has the same meaning as set forth in Public Contract Code section 2500(b)(1).

(C) Notwithstanding subparagraphs (A) and (B) above, a development that is subject to approval pursuant to this section is exempt from any requirement to pay prevailing wages or use a skilled and trained workforce if it meets both of the following:

(1) The project includes 10 or fewer units.

(2) The project is not a public work for purposes of Labor Code section 1720.

(ix) The development did not or does not involve a subdivision of a parcel that is, or, notwithstanding this section, would otherwise be, subject to the Subdivision Map Act (Government Code section 66410, et seq.) or any other applicable law authorizing the subdivision of land, unless either of the following apply:

(A) The development has received or will receive financing or funding by means of a low-income housing tax credit and is subject to the requirement that prevailing wages be paid pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (viii).

(B) The development is subject to the requirement that prevailing wages be paid, and a skilled and trained workforce used, pursuant to paragraph (h).

(x) The development shall not be upon an existing parcel of land or site that is governed under the Mobilehome Residency Law, Civil Code section 798, the Recreational Vehicle Park Occupancy Law, Civil Code section 799.20, the Mobilehome Parks Act, Health and Safety Code section 18200, or the Special Occupancy Parks Act, Health and Safety Code section 18860.

(b)(i)(A)(1) Before submitting an application for a development subject to the streamlined, ministerial approval process described in this section, the development proponent shall submit to the local government a notice of its intent to submit an application. The notice of intent shall be in the form of a preliminary application that includes all of the information described in Section 65941.1 of the Government Code, as that section read on January 1, 2020.

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(2) Upon receipt of a notice of intent to submit an application, the local government shall engage in a scoping consultation regarding the proposed development with any California Native American tribe that is traditionally and culturally affiliated with the geographic area, as described in Section 21080.3.1 of the Public Resources Code, of the proposed development. In order to expedite compliance with this subdivision, the local government shall contact the Native American Heritage Commission for assistance in identifying any California Native American tribe that is traditionally and culturally affiliated with the geographic area of the proposed development.

(3) The timeline for noticing and commencing a scoping consultation in accordance with this subdivision shall be as follows:

A. The local government shall provide a formal notice of a development proponent's notice of intent to submit an application to each California Native American tribe that is traditionally and culturally affiliated with the geographic area of the proposed development within 30 days of receiving that notice of intent. The formal notice provided pursuant to this subclause shall include all of the following:

1. A description of the proposed development.

2. The location of the proposed development.

3. An invitation to engage in a scoping consultation in accordance with this subdivision.

B. Each California Native American tribe that receives a formal notice pursuant to this clause shall have 30 days from the receipt of that notice to accept the invitation to engage in a scoping consultation.

C. If the local government receives a response accepting an invitation to engage in a scoping consultation pursuant to this subdivision, the local government shall commence the scoping consultation within 30 days of receiving that response.

(B) The scoping consultation shall recognize that California Native American tribes traditionally and culturally affiliated with a geographic area have knowledge and expertise concerning the resources at issue and shall take into account the cultural significance of the resource to the culturally affiliated California Native American tribe.

(C) The parties to a scoping consultation conducted pursuant to this subdivision shall be the local government and any California Native American tribe traditionally and culturally affiliated with the geographic area of the proposed development. More than one California Native American tribe traditionally and culturally affiliated with the geographic area of the proposed development may participate in the scoping consultation. However, the local government, upon the request of any California Native American tribe

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(1) The development proponent and its consultants agree to respect the principles set forth in this subdivision.
(2) The development proponent and its consultants engage in the scoping consultation in good faith.
(3) The California Native American tribe participating in the scoping consultation approves the participation of the development proponent and its consultants. The California Native American tribe may rescind its approval at any time during the scoping consultation, either for the duration of the scoping consultation or with respect to any particular meeting or discussion held as part of the scoping consultation.
(D) The participants to a scoping consultation pursuant to this subdivision shall comply with all of the following confidentiality requirements: (1) Government Code sections 7927.000 and 7927.005; Public Resources Code section 21083.3, subdivision (c); (4) State CEQA Guidelines section 15120, subdivision (d); and any additional confidentiality standards adopted by the California Native American tribe participating in the scoping consultation.
(E) CEQA does not apply to the scoping consultation conducted pursuant to this subdivision.
(b)(ii)(A) If, after concluding the scoping consultation, the parties find that no potential tribal cultural resource would be affected by the proposed development, the development proponent may submit an application for the proposed development that is subject to the streamlined, ministerial approval process described in this section .
(B) If, after concluding the scoping consultation, the parties find that a potential tribal cultural resource could be affected by the proposed development and an enforceable agreement is documented between the California Native American tribe and the local government on methods, measures, and conditions for tribal cultural resource treatment, the development proponent may submit the application for a development subject to the streamlined, ministerial approval process described in this section. The local government shall ensure that the enforceable agreement is included in the requirements and conditions for the proposed development.
(C) If, after concluding the scoping consultation, the parties find that a potential tribal cultural resource could be affected by the proposed development and an enforceable agreement is not documented between the California Native American tribe and the local

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-13 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP government regarding methods, measures, and conditions for tribal cultural resource treatment, the development shall not be eligible for the streamlined, ministerial approval process described in this section.

(D) For purposes of this paragraph, a scoping consultation shall be deemed to be concluded if either of the following occur:

(1) The parties to the scoping consultation document an enforceable agreement concerning methods, measures, and conditions to avoid or address potential impacts to tribal cultural resources that are or may be present.

(2) One or more parties to the scoping consultation, acting in good faith and after reasonable effort, conclude that a mutual agreement on methods, measures, and conditions to avoid or address impacts to tribal cultural resources that are or may be present cannot be reached.

(E) If the development or environmental setting substantially changes after the completion of the scoping consultation, the local government shall notify the California Native American tribe of the changes and engage in a subsequent scoping consultation if requested by the California Native American tribe.

(b)(iii) A local government may only accept an application for streamlined, ministerial approval pursuant to this section if one of the following applies:

(A) A California Native American tribe that received a formal notice of the development proponent's notice of intent to submit an application pursuant to this section did not accept the invitation to engage in a scoping consultation.

(B) The California Native American tribe accepted an invitation to engage in a scoping consultation pursuant to this section but substantially failed to engage in the scoping consultation after repeated documented attempts by the local government to engage the California Native American tribe.

(C) The parties to a scoping consultation pursuant to this subdivision find that no potential tribal cultural resource will be affected by the proposed development.

(D) A scoping consultation between a California Native American tribe and the local government has occurred and resulted in an agreement.

(b)(iv) A project shall not be eligible for the streamlined, ministerial process described in this section if any of the following apply:

(A) There is a tribal cultural resource that is on a national, state, tribal, or local historic register list located on the site of the project.

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-14 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (B) There is a potential tribal cultural resource that could be affected by the proposed development and the parties to a scoping consultation conducted pursuant to this subdivision do not document an enforceable agreement on methods, measures, and conditions for tribal cultural resource treatment, as described in this section.

(C) The parties to a scoping consultation conducted pursuant to this subdivision do not agree as to whether a potential tribal cultural resource will be affected by the proposed development.

(b)(v)(A) If, after a scoping consultation conducted pursuant to this subdivision, a project is not eligible for the streamlined, ministerial process described in this section for any or all of the following reasons, the local government shall provide written documentation of that fact, and an explanation of the reason for which the project is not eligible, to the development proponent and to any California Native American tribe that is a party to that scoping consultation:

(1) There is a tribal cultural resource that is on a national, state, tribal, or local historic register list located on the site of the project.

(2) The parties to the scoping consultation have not documented an enforceable agreement on methods, measures, and conditions for tribal cultural resource treatment.

(3) The parties to the scoping consultation do not agree as to whether a potential tribal cultural resource will be affected by the proposed development.

(b)(v)(B) The written documentation provided to a development proponent pursuant to this paragraph shall include information on how the development proponent may seek a conditional use permit or other discretionary approval of the development from the local government.

(b)(vi) This section is not intended, and shall not be construed, to limit consultation and discussion between a local government and a California Native American tribe pursuant to other applicable law, confidentiality provisions under other applicable law, the protection of religious exercise to the fullest extent permitted under state and federal law, or the ability of a California Native American tribe to submit information to the local government or participate in any process of the local government.

(b)(vii) For purposes of this subdivision:

(A) “Consultation” means the meaningful and timely process of seeking, discussing, and considering carefully the views of others, in a manner that is cognizant of all parties' cultural values and, where feasible, seeking agreement.

Consultation between local governments and Native American tribes shall be conducted in a way that is mutually respectful of each party's sovereignty.

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-15 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP Consultation shall also recognize the tribes' potential needs for confidentiality with respect to places that have traditional tribal cultural importance. A lead agency shall consult the tribal consultation best practices described in the “State of California Tribal Consultation Guidelines: Supplement to the General Plan Guidelines” prepared by the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation.

(B) “Scoping” means the act of participating in early discussions or investigations between the local government and California Native American tribe, and the development proponent if authorized by the California Native American tribe, regarding the potential effects a proposed development could have on a potential tribal cultural resource, as defined in Section 21074 of the Public Resources Code, or California Native American tribe, as defined in Section 21073 of the Public Resources Code.

(b) (viii) This subdivision (b) shall not apply to any project that has been approved under the streamlined, ministerial approval process provided under this section before September 25, 2020.

(c) (i) If a local government determines that a development submitted pursuant to this section is consistent with the objective planning standards specified in subdivision (a) and pursuant to paragraph (iii) of this subdivision, it shall approve the development. If a local government determines that a development submitted pursuant to this section is in conflict with any of the objective planning standards specified in subdivision (a), it shall provide the development proponent written documentation of which standard or standards the development conflicts with, and an explanation for the reason or reasons the development conflicts with that standard or standards, as follows:

(A) Within 60 days of submittal of the development to the local government pursuant to this section if the development contains 150 or fewer housing units.

(B) Within 90 days of submittal of the development to the local government pursuant to this section if the development contains more than 150 housing units.

(ii) If the local government fails to provide the required documentation pursuant to paragraph (1), the development shall be deemed to satisfy the objective planning standards specified in subdivision (a).

(iii) For purposes of this section, a development is consistent with the objective planning standards specified in subdivision (a) if there is substantial evidence that would allow a reasonable person to conclude that the development is consistent with the objective planning standards. The local government shall not determine that a development, including an application for a modification under subdivision (g), is in conflict with the objective planning standards on the basis that application materials are not included, if the application contains substantial evidence that would allow a reasonable person to conclude that the development is consistent with the objective planning standards.

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-16 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (d) (i) Any design review or public oversight of the development may be conducted by the local government’s planning commission or any equivalent board or commission responsible for review and approval of development projects, or the city council or board of supervisors, as appropriate. That design review or public oversight shall be objective and be strictly focused on assessing compliance with criteria required for streamlined projects, as well as any reasonable objective design standards published and adopted by ordinance or resolution by a local jurisdiction before submission of a development application, and shall be broadly applicable to development within the jurisdiction. That design review or public oversight shall be completed, and if the development is consistent with all objective standards, the local government shall approve the development as follows and shall not in any way inhibit, chill, or preclude the ministerial approval provided by this section or its effect, as applicable:

(A) Within 90 days of submittal of the development to the local government pursuant to this section if the development contains 150 or fewer housing units.

(B) Within 180 days of submittal of the development to the local government pursuant to this section if the development contains more than 150 housing units.

(ii) If the development is consistent with the requirements of subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (ix) of subdivision (a) and is consistent with all objective subdivision standards in the local subdivision ordinance, an application for a subdivision pursuant to the Subdivision Map Act (Division 2 (commencing with Government Code section 66410)) shall be exempt from the requirements of CEQA and shall be subject to the public oversight timelines set forth in paragraph (i).

(iii) If a local government determines that a development submitted pursuant to this section is in conflict with any of the standards imposed pursuant to paragraph (i), it shall provide the development proponent written documentation of which objective standard or standards the development conflicts with, and an explanation for the reason or reasons the development conflicts with that objective standard or standards consistent with the timelines described in paragraph (i) of subdivision (c).

(e) (i) Notwithstanding any other law, a local government, whether or not it has adopted an ordinance governing parking requirements in multifamily developments, shall not impose parking standards for a streamlined development that was approved pursuant to this section in any of the following instances:

(A) The development is located within one-half mile of public transit.

(B) The development is located within an architecturally and historically significant historic district.

(C) When on-street parking permits are required but not offered to the occupants of the development.

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(D) When there is a car share vehicle located within one block of the development.

(ii) If the development does not fall within any of the categories described in paragraph (1), the local government shall not impose parking requirements for streamlined developments approved pursuant to this section that exceed one parking space per unit.

(f) (i) If a local government approves a development pursuant to this section, then, notwithstanding any other law, that approval shall not expire if the project satisfies both of the following requirements:

(A) The project includes public investment in housing affordability, beyond tax credits.

(B) At least 50 percent of the units are affordable to households making at or below 80 percent of the area median income.

(ii) If a local government approves a development pursuant to this section and the project does not satisfy the requirements of subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (f)(i), that approval shall remain valid for three years from the date of the final action establishing that approval, or if litigation is filed challenging that approval, from the date of the final judgment upholding that approval. Approval shall remain valid for a project provided construction activity, including demolition and grading activity, on the development site has begun pursuant to a permit issued by the local jurisdiction and is in progress. For purposes of this subdivision, “in progress” means one of the following:

(A) The construction has begun and has not ceased for more than 180 days.

(B) If the development requires multiple building permits, an initial phase has been completed, and the project proponent has applied for and is diligently pursuing a building permit for a subsequent phase, provided that once it has been issued, the building permit for the subsequent phase does not lapse.

(C) Notwithstanding subparagraph (ii), a local government may grant a project a one-time, one-year extension if the project proponent can provide documentation that there has been significant progress toward getting the development construction ready, such as filing a building permit application.

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-18 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (iii) If the development proponent requests a modification pursuant to subdivision (g), then the time during which the approval shall remain valid shall be extended for the number of days between the submittal of a modification request and the date of its final approval, plus an additional 180 days to allow time to obtain a building permit. If litigation is filed relating to the modification request, the time shall be further extended during the pendency of the litigation. The extension required by this paragraph shall only apply to the first request for a modification submitted by the development proponent.

(g) (i)(A) A development proponent may request a modification to a development that has been approved under the streamlined, ministerial approval process provided in subdivision (b) if that request is submitted to the local government before the issuance of the final building permit required for construction of the development.

(i)(B) Except as provided in paragraph (g)(iiii), the local government shall approve a modification if it determines that the modification is consistent with the objective planning standards specified in subdivision (a) that were in effect when the original development application was first submitted.

(i)(C) The local government shall evaluate any modifications requested pursuant to this subdivision for consistency with the objective planning standards using the same assumptions and analytical methodology that the local government originally used to assess consistency for the development that was approved for streamlined, ministerial approval pursuant to subdivision (b).

(i)(D) A guideline that is adopted or amended by the Department of Housing and Community Development after a development is approved through the streamlined, ministerial approval process described in subdivision (b) shall not be used as a basis to deny proposed modifications.

(ii) Upon receipt of the development proponent’s application requesting a modification, the local government shall determine if the requested modification is consistent with the objective planning standard and either approve or deny the modification request within 60 days after submission of the modification, or within 90 days if design review is required.

(iii) Notwithstanding paragraph (g)(i), the local government may apply objective planning standards adopted after the development application was first submitted to the requested modification in any of the following instances:

(A) The development is revised such that the total number of residential units or total square footage of construction changes by 15 percent

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-19 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP or more. The calculation of the square footage of construction changes shall not include underground space.

(B) The development is revised such that the total number of residential units or total square footage of construction changes by 5 percent or more and it is necessary to subject the development to an objective standard beyond those in effect when the development application was submitted in order to mitigate or avoid a specific, adverse impact as that term is defined in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (j) of Government Code section 65589.5, upon the public health or safety and there is no feasible alternative method to satisfactorily mitigate or avoid the adverse impact. The calculation of the square footage of construction changes shall not include underground space.

(C) Objective building standards contained in the California Building Standards Code (Title 24 of the California Code of Regulations), including, but not limited to, building plumbing, electrical fire, and grading codes, may be applied to all modification applications that are submitted prior to the first building permit application. Those standards may be applied to modification applications submitted after first building permit application if agreed to by the development proponent.

(iv) The local government’s review of a modification request pursuant to this subdivision shall be strictly limited to determining whether the modification, including any modification to previously approved density bonus concessions or waivers, modify the development’s consistency with the objective planning standards and shall not reconsider prior determinations that are not affected by the modification.

(h) (i) A local government shall not adopt or impose any requirement, including, but not limited to, increased fees or inclusionary housing requirements, that applies to a project solely or partially on the basis that the project is eligible to receive ministerial or streamlined approval pursuant to this section.

(ii) A local government shall issue a subsequent permit required for a development approved under this section if the application substantially complies with the development as it was approved pursuant to subdivision (b). Upon receipt of an application for a subsequent permit, the local government shall process the permit without unreasonable delay and shall not impose any procedure or requirement that is not imposed on projects that are not approved pursuant to this section. The local government shall consider the application for subsequent permits based upon the objective standards specified in any state or local laws that were in effect when the original development application was submitted, unless the development

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-20 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP proponent agrees to a change in objective standards. Issuance of subsequent permits shall implement the approved development, and review of the permit application shall not inhibit, chill, or preclude the development. For purposes of this paragraph, a “subsequent permit” means a permit required subsequent to receiving approval under subdivision (b), and includes, but is not limited to, demolition, grading, and building permits and final maps, if necessary.

(i) (i) This section shall not affect a development proponent’s ability to use any alternative streamlined by right permit processing adopted by a local government, including the provisions of Government Code section 65583.2(i).

(ii) This section shall not prevent a development from also qualifying as a housing development project entitled to the protections of Government Code section 65589.5. This paragraph does not constitute a change in, but is declaratory of, existing law.

(j) CEQA does not apply to actions taken by a state agency, local government, or the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District to:

(i) Lease, convey, or encumber land owned by the local government or the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District or to facilitate the lease, conveyance, or encumbrance of land owned by the local government, or for the lease of land owned by the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District in association with an eligible TOD project, as defined pursuant to Section 29010.1 of the Public Utilities Code, nor to any decisions associated with that lease, or to provide financial assistance to a development that receives streamlined approval pursuant to this section that is to be used for housing for persons and families of very low, low, or moderate income, as defined in Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code.

(ii) Approve improvements located on land owned by the local government or the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District that are necessary to implement a development that receives streamlined approval pursuant to this section that is to be used for housing for persons and families of very low, low, or moderate income, as defined in Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code.

(k) For purposes of this section the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Affordable housing cost” has the same meaning as set forth in section 50052.5 of the Health and Safety Code.

(2) (A) Subject to the qualification provided by subparagraph (B),

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-21 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP “affordable rent” has the same meaning as set forth in Section 50063 of the Health and Safety Code.

(B) For a development for which an application pursuant to this section was submitted prior to January 1, 2019, that includes 500 units or more of housing, and that dedicates 50 percent of the total number of units to housing affordable to households making at, or below, 80 percent of the area median income, affordable rent for at least 30 percent of these units shall be set at an affordable rent as defined in subparagraph (k)(1), and “affordable rent” for the remainder of these units shall mean a rent that is consistent with the maximum rent levels for a housing development that receives an allocation of state or federal low-income housing tax credits from the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee.

(3) “Department” means the Department of Housing and Community Development.

(4) “Development proponent” means the developer who submits an application for streamlined approval pursuant to this section.

(5) “Completed entitlements” means a housing development that has received all the required land use approvals or entitlements necessary for the issuance of a building permit.

(6) “Locality” or “local government” means a city, including a charter city, a county, including a charter county, or a city and county, including a charter city and county.

(7) “Moderate income housing units” means housing units with an affordable housing cost or affordable rent for persons and families of moderate income, as that term is defined in Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code.

(8) “Production report” means the information reported pursuant to `subparagraph (D) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Government Code section 65400.

(9) “State agency” includes every state office, officer, department, division, bureau, board, and commission, but does not include the California State University or the University of California.

(10) “Subsidized” means units that are price or rent restricted such that the units are affordable to households meeting the definitions of very low and lower income, as defined in Sections 50079.5 and 50105 of the Health and Safety Code.

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-22 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (11) “Reporting period” means either of the following:

(A) The first half of the regional housing needs assessment cycle.

(B) The last half of the regional housing needs assessment cycle.

(12) “Urban uses” means any current or former residential, commercial, public institutional, transit or transportation passenger facility, or retail use, or any combination of those uses.

(l) The determination of whether an application for a development is subject to the streamlined ministerial approval process provided by subdivision (b) is not a “project” under CEQA.

(m) This section shall remain in effect until January 1, 2026.

(Reference: Gov. Code, § 65913.4.)

9.02 MINISTERIAL APPROVAL PROCESS FOR URBAN LOT SPLITS AND HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS

WITH NO MORE THAN TWO RESIDENTIAL UNITS WITHIN A SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL ZONE (SB 9)
(a) A proposed housing development containing no more than two residential units within a single-family residential zone shall be considered ministerially, without discretionary review or a hearing, and shall therefore not be subject to CEQA, if the proposed housing development meets all of the following requirements:
(1) The parcel subject to the proposed housing development is located within a city, the boundaries of which include some portion of either an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the United States Census Bureau, or for unincorporated areas, a legal parcel wholly within the boundaries of an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the United States Census Bureau.
(2) The parcel is not located on a site that is any of the following:
(A) Either prime farmland or farmland of statewide importance, as defined pursuant to United States Department of Agriculture land inventory and monitoring criteria, as modified for California, and designated on the maps prepared by the Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program of the Department of Conservation, or land zoned or designated for agricultural protection or preservation by a local ballot measure that was approved by the voters of that jurisdiction;
(B) Wetlands, as defined in the United States Fish and Wildlife Service Manual, Part 660 FW 2 (June 21, 1993);

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-23 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (C) Within a very high fire hazard severity zone, as determined by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection pursuant to Government Code section 51178, or within a high or very high fire hazard severity zone as indicated on maps adopted by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection pursuant to Section 4202 of the Public Resources Code—unless the parcel is a site excluded from the specified hazard zone by a local agency, or is a site that has adopted fire hazard mitigation measures pursuant to existing building standards or state fire mitigation measures applicable to the development;
(D) A hazardous waste site that is listed pursuant to Government Code section 65962.5 or a hazardous waste site designated by the Department of Toxic Substances Control pursuant to Section 25356 of the Health and Safety Code, unless the State Department of Public Health, State Water Resources Control Board, or Department of Toxic Substances Control has cleared the site for residential use or residential mixed uses;
(E) Within a delineated earthquake fault zone as determined by the State Geologist in any official maps published by the State Geologist, unless the development complies with applicable seismic protection building code standards adopted by the California Building Standards Commission under the California Building Standards Law, and by any local building department;
(F) Within a special flood hazard area subject to inundation by the 1 percent annual chance flood (100-year flood) as determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in any official maps published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
(G) Within a regulatory floodway as determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in any official maps published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, unless the
development has received a no-rise certification;
(H) Lands identified for conservation in an adopted natural community conservation plan pursuant to the Natural Community Conservation Planning Act, habitat conservation plan pursuant to the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, or other adopted natural resources protection plan;
(I) Habitat for protected species identified as candidate, sensitive, or species of special status by state or federal agencies, fully protected species, or species protected by the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, the California Endangered Species Act, or the Native Plant Protection Act; or lands under conservation easement; or

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-24 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (J) Lands under conservation easement.
(3) Notwithstanding any provision of this section or any local law, the proposed housing development would not require demolition or alteration of any of the following types of housing:
(A) Housing that is subject to a recorded covenant, ordinance, or law that restricts rents to levels affordable to persons and families of moderate, low, or very low income;
(B) Housing that is subject to any form of rent or price control through a public entity’s valid exercise of its police power;
(C) Housing that has been occupied by a tenant in the last three years. (4) The parcel subject to the proposed housing development is not a parcel on which an owner of residential real property has exercised the owner’s rights to withdraw accommodations from rent or lease within 15 years before the date that the development proponent submits an application. (5) The proposed housing development does not allow the demolition of more than 25 percent of the existing exterior structural walls, unless the housing development meets at least one of the following conditions:
(A) If a local ordinance so allows; or
(B) The site has not been occupied by a tenant in the last three years (6) The development is not located within a historic district or property included on the State Historic Resources Inventory, as defined in Section 5020.1 of the Public Resources Code, or within a site that is designated or listed as a city or county landmark or historic property or district pursuant to a city or county ordinance.

Other regulations governing the approval of a housing development under this section are set forth in Government Code section 65852.21(a). (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of local law, a local agency shall ministerially approve, as set forth in this section, a parcel map for an urban lot split—and such urban lot split shall therefore not be subject to CEQA—only if the local agency determines that the parcel map for the urban lot split meets all of the following requirements:
(1) The parcel map subdivides an existing parcel to create no more than two new parcels of approximately equal lot area provided that one parcel shall not be smaller than 40 percent of the lot area of the original parcel proposed for subdivision.

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-25 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (2) Both newly created parcels are no smaller than 1,200 square feet, except that a local agency may by ordinance adopt a smaller minimum lot size subject to ministerial approval.
(3) The parcel being subdivided meets all of the following requirements:
(A) The parcel is located within a single-family residential zone. (B) The parcel subject to the proposed urban lot split is located within a city, the boundaries of which include some portion of either an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the United States Census Bureau, or, for unincorporated areas, a legal parcel wholly within the boundaries of an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the United States Census Bureau.
(C) The parcel is not located on a site enumerated in Paragraph (a)(2) above.
(D) The proposed urban lot split would not require demolition or alteration of any of the following types of housing:
(i) Housing that is subject to a recorded covenant, ordinance, or law that restricts rents to levels affordable to persons and families of moderate, low, or very low income.
(ii) Housing that is subject to any form of rent or price control through a public entity’s valid exercise of its police power. (iii) A parcel or parcels on which an owner of residential real property has exercised the owner’s rights to withdraw
accommodations from rent or lease within 15 years before the date that the development proponent submits an
application.
(iv) Housing that has been occupied by a tenant in the last three years.
(E) The parcel is not located within a historic district or property included on the State Historic Resources Inventory, as defined in Section 5020.1 of the Public Resources Code, or within a site that is designated or listed as a city or county landmark or historic property or district pursuant to a city or county ordinance.
(F) The parcel has not been established through prior exercise of an urban lot split as provided for in this section.
(G) Neither the owner of the parcel being subdivided nor any person acting in concert with the owner has previously subdivided an

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-26 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP adjacent parcel using an urban lot split as provided for in this section.

Other regulations governing the approval of an urban lot split under this section are set forth in Government Code section 65852.21(b).

9.03 APPROVAL OF ORDINANCE TO ZONE ANY PARCEL FOR UP TO 10 UNITS OF RESIDENTIAL DENSITY PER PARCEL IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES (SB 10)
(a) A local government may adopt an ordinance to zone a parcel for up to 10 units of residential density per parcel, at a height specified by the local government in the ordinance, if the parcel is located in a transit-rich area or an urban infill site. This subsection shall not apply to either of the following:
(1) Parcels located within a very high fire hazard severity zone, as determined by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection pursuant to Government Code section 51178, or within a high or very high fire hazard severity zone as indicated on maps adopted by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection pursuant to Section 4202 of the Public Resources Code. This paragraph does not apply to sites that have adopted fire hazard mitigation measures pursuant to existing building standards or state fire mitigation measures applicable to the development.
(2) Any local restriction enacted or approved by a local initiative that designates publicly owned land as open-space land, as defined in subdivision (h) of Section 65560, or for park or recreational purposes.
(b) An ordinance adopted in accordance with this section, and any resolution to amend the jurisdiction’s General Plan, ordinance, or other local regulation adopted to be consistent with that zoning ordinance, shall not constitute a “project” under CEQA. (c) Notwithstanding any other law that allows ministerial or by right approval of a development project or that grants an exemption from CEQA, a residential or mixed-use residential project consisting of more than 10 new residential units on one or more parcels that are zoned pursuant to an ordinance adopted under this section shall not be approved ministerially or by right and shall not be exempt from CEQA. This subdivision, however, shall not apply to a project located on a parcel or parcels that are zoned pursuant to an ordinance adopted under this section, but subsequently rezoned without regard to this section. A subsequent ordinance adopted to rezone the parcel or parcels shall not be exempt from CEQA. Any environmental review conducted to adopt the subsequent ordinance shall consider the change in the zoning applicable to the parcel or parcels before they were zoned or rezoned pursuant to the ordinance adopted under this section.

Other regulations governing the approval of an ordinance under this section are set forth in Government Code section 65913.5.

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9.04 HOUSING SUSTAINABILITY DISTRICTS.

The Planning and Zoning Law requires a city or county to adopt a general plan for land use development within its boundaries. The general plan must contain seven mandatory elements, including a housing element. Existing law provides for various reforms and incentives intended to facilitate and expedite the construction of affordable housing. Senate Bill 73 authorizes a city, county, or city and county, including a charter agency, to establish by ordinance a housing sustainability district that meets specified requirements, including authorizing residential use within the district through the ministerial issuance of a permit. The agency is authorized to apply to the Department of Housing and Community Development for approval of a zoning incentive payment and requires the agency to provide specified information about the proposed housing sustainability district ordinance. The department is required to approve a zoning incentive payment if the ordinance meets the above-described requirements and the agency’s housing element is in compliance with specified law.

A city, county, or city and county with a housing sustainability district would be entitled to a zoning incentive payment, subject to appropriation of funds for that purpose, and require that one-half of the amount be paid when the department approves the zone and one-half of the amount be paid when the department verifies that permits for the construction of the units have issued within the zone, provided that the city, county, or city and county has received a certificate of compliance for the applicable year. If the agency reduces the density of sites within the district from specified levels set forth in the Senate Bill 73, the agency would be required to return the full amount of zoning incentive payments it has received to the department. The bill also authorizes a developer to develop a project in a housing sustainability district in accordance with the already existing land use approval procedures that would otherwise apply to the parcel in the absence of the establishment of the housing sustainability district pursuant to its provisions, as provided.

As it relates specifically to CEQA, a Lead Agency designating a housing sustainability district is required to prepare an EIR pursuant to Government Code section 66201 to identify and mitigate, to the extent feasible, environmental impacts resulting from the designation. The EIR shall identify mitigation measures that may be undertaken by housing projects in the housing sustainability district to mitigate the environmental impacts identified in the EIR. Housing projects undertaken in the housing sustainability districts that meet specified requirements, including if the project satisfies certain design review standards applicable to development projects within the district provided the project is “complementary to adjacent buildings and structures and is consistent with the [agency’s] general plan,” are exempt under CEQA.

9.05 INTERIM MOTEL HOUSING PROJECTS.
“Interim motel housing projects” are statutorily exempt from CEQA. A project is exempt from CEQA as an “interim motel housing project” where the project consists of the conversion of a structure with a certificate of occupancy as a motel, hotel, residential hotel, or hostel to supportive or transitional housing and the conversion meets at least one of the following conditions: (1) the conversion does not result in the expansion of more than 10 percent of the floor area of any individual living unit in the structure; and (2) the conversion does not result in any significant effects relating to traffic, noise, air quality, or water quality.

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-28 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP If the City determines that a project is exempt from CEQA as an interim motel housing project, it must file a Notice of Exemption with the State Clearinghouse. (Reference: Pub. Resources Code, § 21080.50 [in effect until January 1, 2025].)

9.06 SUPPORTIVE HOUSING AND “NO PLACE LIKE HOME” PROJECTS.

A decision by the City to seek funding from, or the Department of Housing and Community Development’s awarding of funds pursuant to, the “No Place Like Home Program” (set forth in Part 3.9 of Division 5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, commencing with Section 5849.1) does not constitute a “project” under CEQA.
“Supportive housing” in areas where multifamily and mixed uses are permitted may be a “use by right” and thus exempt from CEQA if the supportive housing project meets certain criteria set forth in Government Code section 65651. A “supportive housing” project is a project that provides housing with no limit on length of stay, that is occupied by persons within the target population—i.e., persons with disabilities, families who are homeless, or homeless youth—and that is linked to onsite or offsite services that assist the supportive housing resident to retain housing, improve their health status, and maximize their ability to live and, when possible, work in the community. A policy by a city or county to approve as a use by right proposed housing developments with a limit higher than 50 units does not constitute a “project” under CEQA. To see the requirements of the exemptions relating to supportive housing, please see Government Code section 65651.

If a No Place Like Home project is not exempt from CEQA under Government Code section 65651, the development applicant may request, within 10 days after the City determines the type of environmental documentation required for the project under CEQA, that the City prepare and certify the record of proceeding for the environmental review of the No Place Like Home project in accordance with Public Resources Code section 21186.

If the City approves or determines to carry out a No Place Like Home project that is subject to CEQA, the City shall file a notice of that approval or determination in accordance with the requirements of Public Resources Code section 21151, subdivision (a), except that the Notice of Determination shall be filed within two working days after the approval or determination becomes final. Likewise, if the City approves or determines to carry out a No Place Like Home project that is not subject to CEQA, the City shall file a Notice of Exemption in accordance with the requirements of Public Resources Code section 21152, subdivision (b), except that the Notice of Exemption shall be filed within two working days after the approval or determination becomes final.
(Reference: Pub. Resources Code, § 21163, et seq.; Gov. Code, § 65651; Health & Safety Code, § 50675.14.)

9.07 SHELTER CRISIS AND EMERGENCY HOUSING.

An action taken by certain cities, counties, or state agencies to lease, convey, or encumber land owned by a city or county—or an action to facilitate the lease, conveyance, or encumbrance of land owned by the local government—for, or to provide financial assistance to, a homeless

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-29 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP shelter constructed pursuant to the provisions of Government Code section 8698.4 is statutorily exempt from CEQA. This narrow exception applies to specified efforts to assist specified cities or counties that have declared a shelter crisis and seek to build a homeless shelter. To see all the requirements of this exemption, please see Government Code section 8698.4. (Reference: Gov. Code, § 8698.4 [in effect until January 1, 2023].)

9.08 AFFORDABLE HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS IN COMMERCIAL ZONES.

A proposed affordable multifamily housing development project is subject to streamlined, ministerial review and is not subject to CEQA if it meets the following requirements:

1. One hundred percent of the units within the development project, excluding managers’ units, must be dedicated to lower income households at an affordable cost, as defined by Section 50052.5 of the Health and Safety Code, or an affordable rent set in an amount consistent with the rent limits established by the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee. The units must be subject to a recorded deed restriction for a period of 55 years for rental units and 45 years for owner-occupied units.

2. The proposed development must meet applicable objective zoning standards, objective subdivision standards, and objective design review standards as further defined in Government Code section 65912.113(f) & (g).

3. The proposed housing development must meet certain density requirements set forth in Government Code section 65583.2(c)(3).

4. The project must be located in a zone where office, retail, or parking are a principally permitted use.

5. At least 75 percent of the perimeter of the project site must adjoin parcels that are developed with urban uses. Parcels that are only separated by a street or highway shall be considered adjoined.

6. The project may not be located on a site or adjoined to any site where more than one-third of the square footage on the site is dedicated to industrial use.

7. The project site must be located on a legal parcel or parcels that are either (a) in a city where the city boundaries include some portion of either an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the United States Census Bureau; or (b) in an unincorporated area, and the legal parcel or parcels are wholly within the boundaries of an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the United States Census Bureau.

8. None of the proposed housing may be located within 500 feet of a freeway.

9. None of the proposed housing may be located within 3,200 feet of a facility that actively extracts or refines oil or natural gas.

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10. The project may not be located on a site that qualifies as either prime farmland or farmland of statewide importance.

11. The project site may not be located in wetlands.

12. The project site may not be located in a very high fire hazard severity zone.

13. The project site may not be located on a hazardous waste site, with limited exceptions as set forth in Government Code section 65913.4(a)(6)(E).

14. The project site may not be located within a delineated earthquake fault zone, unless the development complies with applicable seismic protection building code standards as set forth in Government Code section 65913.4(a)(6)(F).

15. The project may not be located within a special flood hazard area subject to inundation by the 1 percent annual chance flood (100-year flood) as determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”).

16. The project site may not be located within a regulatory floodway as determined by FEMA, with limited exceptions as set forth in Government Code section 65913.4(a)(6)(H).

17. The project site may not be located on lands identified for conservation in an adopted natural community conservation plan pursuant to the Natural Community Conservation Planning Act, habitat conservation plan pursuant to the federal Endangered Species Act, or other adopted natural resource protection plan.

18. The project site may not be located on habitat for protected species identified as candidate, sensitive, or species of special status by state or federal agencies, fully protected species, or species protected by the federal Endangered Species Act, the California Endangered Species Act, or the Native Plant Protection Act.

19. The project site may not be located on lands under conservation easement.

20. The project site may not be located on an existing parcel of land or site that is governed under the Mobilehome Residency Law, the Recreational Vehicle Park Occupancy Law, the Mobilehome Parks Act, or the Special Occupancy Parks Act.

21. For a project proposed on a site within a neighborhood plan area, the applicable neighborhood plan must permit multifamily housing development on the site.

Additional requirements apply to projects within a neighborhood plan area as of January 1, 2024, as set forth in Government Code section 65912.113(i).

22. For a project proposed on a vacant site, the project may not result in significant and unavoidable impacts to tribal cultural resources on the site.

23. The development proponent must complete a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, and the proponent must undertake additional measures if a

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A project approved under this section must meet certain labor standards, as set forth in Government Code section 65912.130, et seq. For example, a private housing development project under this section is subject to a requirement that all construction workers employed in the execution of the development be paid at least the general prevailing rate of per diem wages for the type of work and geographic area, as determined by the Director of Industrial Relations. (Reference: Gov. Code, § 65912.110, et seq.)

9.09 MIXED-INCOME HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS ALONG COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS.

A proposed multifamily housing development project is subject to streamlined, ministerial review and is not subject to CEQA if it meets the following requirements:

1. The proposed development project must meet all of the following affordability criteria, as set forth in greater detail in Government Code section 65912.122:
(a)(1) A rental housing development shall include either of the following:
(A) Eight percent of the units for very low income households and 5 percent of the units for extremely low income households; or (B) Fifteen percent of the units for lower income households. (2) The development proponent must agree to, and the local government must ensure, the continued affordability of all affordable rental units included pursuant to this section for 55 years.
(b)(1) An owner-occupied housing development shall include either of the following:
(A) Thirty percent of the units must be offered at an affordable housing cost, as defined in Section 50052.5 of the Health and Safety Code, to moderate-income households; or
(B) Fifteen percent of the units must be offered at an affordable housing cost, as defined in Section 50052.5 of the Health and Safety Code, to lower income households.
(2) The development proponent must agree to, and the local government must ensure, the continued affordability of all affordable rental units included pursuant to this section for 45 years.
(c) If the local government has a local affordable housing requirement, the housing development project shall comply with all of the following:

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-32 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (1) The development project shall include the percentage of affordable units required by this section or the local requirement, whichever is higher.
(2) The development project shall meet the lowest income targeting in either policy.
(3) If the local affordable housing requirement requires greater than 15 percent of the units to be dedicated for lower income households and does not require the inclusion of units affordable to very low and extremely low income households, then the rental housing development shall do both of the following:
(A) Include 8 percent of the units for very low income
households and 5 percent of the units for extremely low income households; and
(B) Fifteen percent of units affordable to lower income households shall be subtracted from the percentage of units required by the local policy at the highest required
affordability level.
(d) Affordable units in the development project shall have the same bedroom and bathroom count ratio as the market rate units, be equitably distributed within the project, and have the same type or quality of appliances, fixtures, and finishes.

2. The project site must abut a commercial corridor and have frontage along the commercial corridor of at least 50 feet.

3. The project site may not be greater than 20 acres.

4. The project must be located in a zone where office, retail, or parking are a principally permitted use.

5. At least 75 percent of the perimeter of the project site must adjoin parcels that are developed with urban uses. Parcels that are only separated by a street or highway shall be considered adjoined.

6. The project may not be located on a site or adjoined to any site where more than one-third of the square footage on the site is dedicated to industrial use.

7. The project site must be located on a legal parcel or parcels that are either (a) in a city where the city boundaries include some portion of either an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the United States Census Bureau; or (b) in an unincorporated area, and the legal parcel or parcels are wholly within the boundaries of an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the United States Census Bureau.

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8. The proposed development must meet applicable objective zoning standards, objective subdivision standards, and objective design review standards as further explained in Government Code section 65912.123(j).

9. The proposed housing development must meet certain density requirements set forth in Government Code section 65912.123(b).

10. The proposed housing development must meet certain height and setback requirements set forth in Government Code section 65912.123(c)-(d).

11. The project may not be located on a site where any of the following would apply:
(a) The development would require the demolition of the following types of housing: (i) housing that is subject to a recorded covenant, ordinance, or law that restricts rents to levels affordable to persons and families of moderate, low, or very low income; (ii) housing that is subject to any form of rent or price control through a public entity’s valid exercise of its police power; (iii) or housing that has been occupied by tenants within the past 10 years, excluding any manager’s units.
(b) The site was previously used for permanent housing that was occupied by tenants, excluding any manager’s units, that was demolished within 10 years before the development proponent submitted its application for the development.
(c) The site would require the demolition of a historic structure that was placed on a national, state, or local historic register. (d) The property contains one to four dwelling units.
(e) The property is vacant and zoned for housing but not for multifamily residential use.
(f) The existing parcel of land or site is governed under the Mobilehome Residency Law, the Recreational Vehicle Park Occupancy Law, the Mobilehome Parks Act, or the Special Occupancy Parks Act

12. None of the proposed housing may be located within 500 feet of a freeway.

13. None of the proposed housing may be located within 3,200 feet of a facility that actively extracts or refines oil or natural gas.

14. The project may not be located on a site that qualifies as either prime farmland or farmland of statewide importance.

15. The project site may not be located in wetlands.

16. The project site may not be located in a very high fire hazard severity zone.

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17. The project site may not be located on a hazardous waste site, with limited exceptions as set forth in Government Code section 65913.4(a)(6)(E).

18. The project site may not be located within a delineated earthquake fault zone, unless the development complies with applicable seismic protection building code standards as set forth in Government Code section 65913.4(a)(6)(F).

19. The project may not be located within a special flood hazard area subject to inundation by the 1 percent annual chance flood (100-year flood) as determined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (“FEMA”).

20. The project site may not be located within a regulatory floodway as determined by FEMA, with limited exceptions as set forth in Government Code section 65913.4(a)(6)(H).

21. The project site may not be located on lands identified for conservation in an adopted natural community conservation plan pursuant to the Natural Community Conservation Planning Act, habitat conservation plan pursuant to the federal Endangered Species Act, or other adopted natural resource protection plan.

22. The project site may not be located on habitat for protected species identified as candidate, sensitive, or species of special status by state or federal agencies, fully protected species, or species protected by the federal Endangered Species Act, the California Endangered Species Act, or the Native Plant Protection Act.

23. The project site may not be located on lands under conservation easement.

24. For a project proposed on a site within a neighborhood plan area, the applicable neighborhood plan must permit multifamily housing development on the site.

Additional requirements apply to projects within a neighborhood plan area as of January 1, 2024, as set forth in Government Code section 65912.121(i).

25. For a project proposed on a vacant site, the project may not result in significant and unavoidable impacts to tribal cultural resources on the site.

26. The development proponent must complete a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment, and the proponent must undertake additional measures if a recognized environmental condition is found as set forth in Government Code section 65912.123(f).

A project approved under this section must meet certain labor standards, as set forth in Government Code section 65912.130, et seq. For example, a private housing development project under this section is subject to a requirement that all construction workers employed in the execution of the development be paid at least the general prevailing rate of per diem wages for the type of work and geographic area, as determined by the Director of Industrial Relations. (Reference: Gov. Code, § 65912.120, et seq.)

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9.10 A RESPONSIBLE AGENCY’S PROVISION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE OR INSURANCE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AND CONSTRUCTION OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

Action taken by a local agency that is acting as a responsible agency – not as a lead agency – to provide financial assistance or insurance for the development and construction of residential housing for persons and families of low or moderate income, as defined in Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code, is exempt from CEQA if the project that is the subject of the application for financial assistance or insurance will be subject to CEQA review by another public agency. This includes a local agency’s approval of contracts that provide residential, counseling, and security services for people experiencing homelessness. (Reference: Pub. Resources Code, § 21080.10.)

9.11 EXEMPTION FOR SPECIFIED AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECTS.

If the conditions and requirements set forth in Public Resources code section 21080.40 are met, the following public agency action relating to an “affordable housing project” shall be exempt from CEQA :

1. The issuance of an entitlement by a public agency for an affordable housing project.

2. An action to lease, convey, or encumber land owned by a public agency for an affordable housing project.

3. An action to facilitate the lease, conveyance, or encumbrance of land owned or to be purchased by a public agency for an affordable housing project.

4. Rezoning, specific plan amendments, or general plan amendments required specifically and exclusively to allow the construction of an affordable housing project.

5. An action to provide financial assistance in furtherance of implementing an affordable housing project.

Section 21080.40 of the Public Resources Code defines “affordable housing project” as a project that meets the following requirements:
 The project consists of multifamily residential uses only or a mix of multifamily residential and nonresidential uses;
 At least two-thirds of the square footage of the project is designated for residential use;  All of the project’s residential units, excluding managers’ units, are dedicated to lower income households, as defined by Health & Safety Code section 50079.5;

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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-36 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP  The project meets the labor requirements set forth in Government Code section 65912.130, or Government Code section 65912.131 if the project has 50 or more residential units;
 The project is located on a parcel in any of the following locations: (i) an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the United States Census Bureau, (ii) within one-half mile walking distance to either a high-quality transit corridor or a major transit stop, (iii) a very low vehicle travel area (defined as an urbanized area where existing residential development generates vehicle miles traveled per capita that is below 85 percent of either regional vehicle miles traveled per capita or city vehicle miles traveled per capita), or (iv) proximal to six or more certain specified amenities, including within one-half mile of a bus station or ferry terminal, or within one mile (or two miles if in a rural area) of a supermarket or grocery store, public park, community center, pharmacy or drugstore, medical clinic or hospital, public library, or a school; and  Parcels that are developed with urban uses must adjoin at least 75 percent of the perimeter of the project site or at least three sides of a four-sided project site.

To qualify for this exemption, the affordable housing project must meet a series of requirements set forth in Public Resources Code section 21080.40. The requirements include that the affordable housing project be subject to a recorded California Tax Credit Allocation Committee regulatory agreement for at least 55 years upon completion of construction, and that the project site must be adequately served by existing utilities or extensions. In addition, the public agency must confirm that the project is not built on environmentally sensitive or hazardous land; that the project will not have significant and unavoidable tribal cultural resource impacts; that a Phase I environmental assessment was prepared and any hazardous substances on the site have been remediated; and if the project site is not permitted for multifamily housing, that none of the housing is located within 500 feet of a freeway or within 3,200 feet of a facility that actively extracts or refines soil or natural gas; and that the project site is not within a very high fire hazard severity zone.

If a lead agency determines that the affordable housing project is exempt from CEQA pursuant to this provision, it must file a notice of exemption with the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation and the county clerk of each county in which the project is located. (Reference: Pub. Resources Code, § 21080.40.)

9.12 MINISTERIAL APPROVAL OF HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS ON LAND OWNED BY INDEPENDENT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS.

A “housing development project” is not subject to CEQA if it meets the criteria and requirements set forth in Government Code section 65913.16. To qualify for the exemption, a housing development project must, among other things, meet the following requirements:

1. The housing development project must be located on land owned on or before January 1, 2024 by an independent institution of higher education or a religious institution, including ownership through an affiliated or associated nonprofit public

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) AFFORDABLE HOUSING

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 9-37 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP benefit corporation organized pursuant to the Nonprofit Corporation Law (Part 2 (commencing with Section 5110) of Division 2 of Title 1 of the Corporations Code).

2. The housing development project must consist of residential units only; constitute a mixed-use development consisting of residential and non-residential uses with at least two-thirds of the square footage designated for residential use; or consist of transitional housing or supportive housing.

3. The housing development project must meet certain affordability requirements.

One hundred percent of the development project’s total units, exclusive of a manager’s unit or units, must be for lower income households, as defined by Section 50079.5 of the Health and Safety Code, except that up to 20 percent of the total units in the development may be for moderate-income households, as defined in Section 50052 of the Health and Safety Code, and 5 percent of the units may be for staff of the independent institution of higher education or religious institution that owns the land.

4. The project must be subject to specified labor and prevailing wage requirements.

The exemption is subject to a lengthy series of locational and other requirements, set forth in Government Code section 65913.16.
(Reference: Gov. Code, § 65913.16.)

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) CEQA LITIGATION

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 10-1 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP

10. CEQA LITIGATION

10.01 TIMELINES.

When a CEQA lawsuit is filed, there are numerous and complex time requirements that must be met. Pressing deadlines begin to run in the days immediately after a CEQA lawsuit has been filed with the Court. For example, within ten (10) business days of the public agency being served with a petition or complaint alleging a violation of CEQA, the City, if it was the Lead Agency, must provide the petitioner with a list of Responsible Agencies and public agencies with jurisdiction by law over any natural resource affected by the project at issue. There are a variety of other deadlines that apply in CEQA litigation.

If a CEQA lawsuit is filed, CEQA counsel should be contacted immediately in order to ensure that all the applicable deadlines are met.

10.02 MEDIATION AND SETTLEMENT.

After Litigation Has Been Filed. The parties in a CEQA lawsuit are required to meet and discuss settlement. Within twenty (20) days of being served with a CEQA legal challenge, the public agency named in the lawsuit must file a notice with the court setting forth the time and place for a settlement meeting. The meeting must be scheduled and held not later than forty-five (45) days from the date of service of the petition or complaint upon the public agency. Usually the main parties to the litigation (such as the Lead Agency, the developer of the project if there is one, and those challenging the project and their respective attorneys) meet to discuss settlement; there is no requirement to hire a professional mediator. The settlement meeting is usually subject to a confidentiality agreement.

If the parties in a CEQA lawsuit are in settlement or mediation, that attempt is intended to occur concurrently with the litigation. This means that the respondent public agency will be required to comply with all existing litigation timelines and requirements (for example, preparing and lodging the administrative record discussed below) while simultaneously conducting settlement or mediation, unless the parties enter into an alternate agreement to stay the litigation and that agreement is approved by the court.

10.03 ADMINISTRATIVE RECORD.

A. Contents of Administrative Record.

When the Lead Agency’s CEQA finding(s) and/or action is challenged in a lawsuit, the Lead Agency must certify the administrative record that formed the basis of the Lead Agency’s decision. To the extent the documents listed below exist and are not subject to a privilege that exempts them from disclosure, the following items should be included in the administrative record:
(1) All project application materials;
(2) All staff reports and related documents prepared by the public agency with respect to its compliance with the substantive and procedural requirements of CEQA and with respect to the action on the project;

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) CEQA LITIGATION

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 10-2 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (3) All staff reports and related documents prepared by the public agency and written testimony or documents submitted by any person relevant to any findings or statement of overriding considerations adopted by the public agency pursuant to CEQA or these Local Guidelines;
(4) Any transcript or minutes of the proceedings at which the decision-making body of the public agency heard testimony on or considered any environmental document on the project, and any transcript or minutes of proceedings before any advisory body to the respondent public agency that were presented to the decision-making body prior to action on the environmental documents or on the project; (5) All notices issued by the public agency to comply with CEQA or with any other law governing the processing and approval of the project; (6) All written comments received in response to, or in connection with, environmental documents prepared for the project, including responses to the notice of preparation;
(7) All written evidence or correspondence submitted to, or transferred from, the public agency with respect to compliance with CEQA or with respect to the project; (8) Any proposed decisions or findings submitted to the decision-making body of the public agency by its staff or the project proponent, project opponents, or other persons, to the extent such documents are subject to public disclosure; (9) The documentation of the final public agency decision, including the final environmental impact report, mitigated negative declaration, or negative declaration, and all documents, in addition to those referenced in paragraph (3) above, cited or relied on in the findings or in a statement of overriding considerations adopted pursuant to CEQA;
(10) Any other written materials relevant to the respondent public agency’s compliance with CEQA or to its decision on the merits of the project, including the initial study; any drafts of any environmental document, or portions thereof, that were released for public review; copies of studies or other documents relied upon in any environmental document prepared for the project and either made available to the public during the public review period or included in the public agency’s files on the project; and internal agency communications related to the project or to compliance with CEQA, to the extent such documents are subject to public disclosure; and
(11) The full written record before any inferior administrative decision-making body whose decision was appealed prior to the filing of the lawsuit.

B. Organization of Administrative Record.

The administrative record should be organized as follows:

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) CEQA LITIGATION

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 10-3 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (1) Index. A detailed index must be included at the beginning of the administrative record listing each document in the order presented. Each entry must include the document’s title, date, brief description, and the volume and page where the document begins;
(2) The Notice of Determination;
(3) The resolutions or ordinances adopted by the Lead Agency approving the project; (4) The findings required by Public Resources Code section 21081, including any statement of overriding considerations;
(5) The Final EIR, including the Draft EIR or a revision of the draft, all other matters included in the Final EIR (such as traffic studies and air quality studies), or other types of environmental documents prepared under CEQA, such as a negative declaration, mitigated negative declaration, or addenda; (6) The initial study;
(7) Staff reports prepared for the administrative bodies providing subordinate approvals or recommendations to the Lead Agency, in chronological order; (8) Transcripts and minutes of hearings, in chronological order; and (9) All other documents appropriate for inclusion in the administrative record, in chronological order.

Each section listed above must be separated by tabs or marked with electronic bookmarks.

Oversized documents (such as building plans and maps) must be presented in a manner that allows them to be easily unfolded and viewed.

The court may issue an order allowing the documents to be organized in a different manner.

C. Preparation of Administrative Record.

The administrative record can be prepared: (1) by the petitioner, if the petitioner elects to do so, or (2) by the Lead Agency. The petitioner and the Lead Agency can also agree on any alternative method of preparing the record. However, when a third party such as the project applicant prepares or assists with the preparation of the administrative record, the Lead Agency may not be able to recover fees incurred by the third party unless petitioner has agreed to this method of preparation.

Notwithstanding the above, upon the written request of a project applicant received no later than 30 days after the date that the Lead Agency makes a determination pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21080.1, 21094.5, or Chapter 4.2 (commencing with Public Resources Code section 21155) and with the written consent of the Lead Agency sent within 10 business days from receipt of the written request, the Lead Agency may prepare the administrative record concurrently with the administrative process. Should the Lead Agency and the project applicant

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) CEQA LITIGATION

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 10-4 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP so desire to pursue concurrent record preparation, the parties must comply with the provisions of Public Resources Code section 21167.6.2.

D. Special Circumstances For Environmental Leadership Projects.

Special timing considerations and requirements apply if the Project is certified by the Governor as an Environmental Leadership Project pursuant to the “Jobs and Economic Improvement Through Environmental Leadership Act of 2021.” For example, the administrative record must be finished and certified within five (5) days of project approval. See Public Resources Code section 21186 for a complete discussion of the special requirements related to the preparation of an administrative record for an Environmental Leadership Project.

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-1 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP

11. DEFINITIONS
Whenever the following terms are used in these Local Guidelines, they shall have the following meaning unless otherwise expressly defined:

11.01 “Agricultural Employee” means a person engaged in agriculture, which includes farming in all its branches, and, among other things, includes: (1) the cultivation and tillage of the soil, (2) dairying, (3) the production, cultivation, growing, and harvesting of any agricultural or horticultural commodities, (4) the raising of livestock, bees, furbearing animals, or poultry, and (5) any practices (including any forestry or lumbering operations) performed by a farmer or on a farm as an incident to or in conjunction with such farming operations, including preparation for market and delivery to storage or to market or to carriers for transportation to market.

This definition does not include any person covered by the National Labor Relations Act as agricultural employees pursuant to Section 2(3) of the Labor Management Relations Act (Section 152(3), Title 29, United States Code) and Section 3(f) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (Section 203(f), Title 29, United States Code). This definition does not apply to employees who perform work to be done at the site of the construction, alteration, painting, or repair of a building, structure, or other work (as these terms have been construed under Section 8(e) of the Labor Management Relations Act, 29 United States Code section 158(e)) or logging or timber-clearing operations in initial preparation of land for farming, or who does land leveling or only land surveying for any of the above. As used in this definition, “land leveling” shall include only major land moving operations changing the contour of the land, but shall not include annual or seasonal tillage or preparation of land for cultivation. (State CEQA Guidelines section 15191(a).)

11.02 “Applicant” means a person who proposes to carry out a project that requires a lease, permit, license, certificate, or other entitlement for use, or requires financial aid from one or more public agencies when applying for governmental approval or assistance.

11.03 “Approval” means a decision by the decision-making body or other authorized body or officer of the City which commits the City to a definite course of action with regard to a particular project. With regard to any project to be undertaken directly by the City, approval shall be deemed to occur on the date when the decision-making body adopts a motion or resolution determining to proceed with the project, which in no event shall be later than the date of adoption of plans and specifications. As to private projects, approval shall be deemed to have occurred upon the earliest commitment to provide service or the issuance by the City of a discretionary contract, subsidy, or other form of financial assistance, lease, permit, license, certificate, or other entitlement for use of the project. The mere acquisition of land by the City shall not, in and of itself, be deemed to constitute approval of a project.

For purposes of these Local Guidelines, all environmental documents must be completed as of the time of project approval.

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
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2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-2 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP

11.04 “Baseline” refers to the pre-project environmental conditions. By comparing the project’s potential impacts to the baseline, the Lead Agency determines whether the project’s impacts are substantial enough to be significant under the relevant thresholds of significance. Generally, the baseline is the environmental conditions existing on the date the environmental analysis begins, such as the date the Notice of Preparation is published for an EIR or the date the Notice of Intent to Adopt a Negative Declaration is published. However, in certain circumstances, an earlier or later date may provide a more accurate environmental analysis. The City may establish any baseline that is appropriate, including an earlier or later date, as long as the choice of baseline can be supported by substantial evidence.

11.05 “California Native American Tribe” means a Native American tribe located in California that is on the contact list maintained by the Native American Heritage Commission for the purposes of Chapter 905 of the Statutes of 2004.

11.06 “Categorical Exemption” means an exemption from CEQA for a class of projects based on a finding by the Secretary of the Resources Agency that the class of projects does not have a significant effect on the environment.

11.07 “Census-Defined Place” means a specific unincorporated land area within boundaries determined by the United States Census Bureau in the most recent decennial census.

11.08 “CEQA” means the California Environmental Quality Act, codified at California Public Resources Code sections 21000, et seq.

11.09 “City” means the City of Indian Wells.

11.10 “Clerk” means either the “Clerk of the Board” or the “County Clerk” depending upon the county. Please refer to the “Index to Environmental Filing by County” in the Staff Summary to determine which applies.

11.11 “Community-Level Environmental Review” means either (1) or (2) below:
(1) An EIR certified for any of the following:
(a) A general plan;
(b) A revision or update to the general plan that includes at least the land use and circulation elements;
(c) An applicable community plan;
(d) An applicable specific plan; or
(e) A housing element of the general plan, if the Environmental Impact Report analyzed the environmental effects of the density of the proposed project;
(2) A Negative Declaration or Mitigated Negative Declaration adopted as a subsequent environmental review document, following and based upon an EIR on a general plan, an applicable community plan or specific plan, provided that the subsequent environmental review document is allowed by CEQA following

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-3 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP a Master EIR or a Program EIR or is required pursuant to Public Resource Section 21166.

11.12 “Consultation” means the meaningful and timely process of seeking, discussing, and considering carefully the views of others, in a manner that is cognizant of all parties' cultural values and, where feasible, seeking agreement. Consultation between government agencies and Native American tribes shall be conducted in a way that is mutually respectful of each party's sovereignty. Consultation shall also recognize the tribes' potential needs for confidentiality with respect to places that have traditional tribal cultural significance.

11.13 “Cumulative Impacts” means two or more individual effects which, when considered together, are considerable or which compound or increase other environmental impacts.

The individual effects may be changes resulting from a single project or a number of separate projects, whether past, present or future.

The cumulative impact from several projects is the change in the environment which results from the incremental impact of the project when added to other closely related past, present and reasonably foreseeable future projects. Cumulative impacts can result from individually minor but collectively significant projects taking place over a period of time.

11.14 “Cumulatively Considerable” means that the incremental effects of an individual project are significant when viewed in connection with the effects of past projects, the effects of other current projects, and the effects of probable future projects.

11.15 “Decision-Making Body” means the body within the City, e.g. the City Council, which has final approval authority over the particular project.

11.16 “Developed Open Space” means land that meets each of the following three criteria:
(1) Is publicly owned, or financed in whole or in part by public funds; (2) Is generally open to, and available for use by, the public; and (3) Is predominantly lacking in structural development other than structures associated with open spaces, including, but not limited to, playgrounds, swimming pools, ball fields, enclosed child play areas, and picnic facilities.

Developed Open Space may include land that has been designated for acquisition by a public agency for developed open space purposes, but does not include lands acquired by public funds dedicated to the acquisition of land for housing purposes.

11.17 “Development Project” means any project undertaken for the purpose of development, including any project involving the issuance of a permit for construction or reconstruction but not a permit to operate. It does not include any ministerial projects proposed to be carried out or approved by public agencies. (Government Code section 65928.)

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-4 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP

11.18 “Discretionary Project” means a project for which approval requires the exercise of independent judgment, deliberation, or decision-making on the part of the City. To determine whether a project is discretionary, the key question is whether the public agency can use its subjective judgment to decide whether and how to carry out or approve a project.

11.19 “EIR” means Environmental Impact Report, a detailed written statement setting forth the environmental effects and considerations pertaining to a project. EIR may mean a Draft or a Final version of an EIR, a Project EIR, a Subsequent EIR, a Supplemental EIR, a Tiered EIR, a Staged EIR, a Program EIR, a Redevelopment EIR, a Master EIR, or a Focused EIR.

11.20 “Emergency” means a sudden, unexpected occurrence, involving a clear and imminent danger, demanding immediate action to prevent or mitigate loss of, or damage to, life, health, property, or essential public services. Emergency includes such occurrences as fire, flood, earthquake, landslide or other natural disaster, as well as such occurrences as riot, war, terrorist incident, accident or sabotage.

11.21 “Endangered, Rare or Threatened Species” means certain species or subspecies of animals or plants. A species or subspecies of animal or plant is “Endangered” when its survival and reproduction in the wild are in immediate jeopardy from one or more causes, including loss of habitat, change in habitat, overexploitation, predation, competition, disease, or other factors. A species or subspecies of animal or plant is “Threatened” when it is listed as a threatened species pursuant to the California Endangered Species Act or the Federal Endangered Species Act. A species or subspecies of animal or plant is “Rare” when either:
(1) Although not presently threatened with extinction, the species is existing in such small numbers throughout all or a significant portion of its range that it may become endangered if its environment worsens; or
(2) The species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range and many be considered “threatened” as that term is used in the Federal Endangered Species Act.

For purposes of analyzing impacts to biological resources, a species of animal or plant shall be presumed to be endangered, rare or threatened if it is listed under the California Endangered Species Act or the Federal Endangered Species Act.

This definition shall not include any species of the Class Insecta which is a pest whose protection under the provisions of CEQA would present an overwhelming and overriding risk to man as determined by the Director of Food and Agriculture (with regard to economic pests) or the Director of Health Services (with regard to health risks).

11.22 “Environment” means the physical conditions which exist in the area which will be affected by a proposed project, including land, air, water, minerals, flora, fauna, ambient noise, and objects of historic or aesthetic significance. The area involved shall

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-5 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP be the area in which significant effects would occur either directly or indirectly as a result of the project. The “environment” includes both natural and man-made conditions.

11.23 “Feasible” means capable of being accomplished in a successful manner within a reasonable period of time, taking into account economic, environmental, social and technological factors.

11.24 “Final EIR” means an EIR containing the information contained in the Draft EIR, comments either verbatim or in summary received in the review process, a list of persons commenting, and the response of the City to the comments received.

11.25 “Greenhouse Gases” include, but are not limited to, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride.

11.26 “Guidelines” or “Local Guidelines” means the City’s Local Guidelines for implementing the California Environmental Quality Act.

11.27 “Highway” shall have the same meaning as defined in Section 360 of the Vehicle Code.

11.28 “Historical Resources” include:

Resources listed in, or eligible for listing in, the California Register of Historical Resources shall be considered historical resources.

A resource may be listed in the California Register if it meets any of the following National Register of Historic Places criteria:
(a) Is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of California’s history and cultural heritage; (b) Is associated with the lives of persons important in our past; (c) Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or represents the work of an important creative individual, or possesses high artistic values; or
(d) Has yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.

A resource may also be listed in the California Register if it is identified as significant in an historical resource survey that meets all of the following criteria:
(a) The survey has been or will be included in the State Historic Resources Inventory;
(b) The survey and the survey documentation were prepared in accordance with office procedures and requirements; and
(c) The resource is evaluated and determined by the office to have a significance rating of Category 1 to 5 on DPR Form 523.

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-6 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP Resources included on a list of properties officially designated or recognized as historically significant by a local government pursuant to a local ordinance or resolution, or identified as significant in a historical resource survey (as described above) are presumed to be historically or culturally significant, unless a preponderance of evidence demonstrates that they are not historically or culturally significant.

Any of the following may be considered historically significant: any object, building, structure, site, area, place, record or manuscript which a Lead Agency determines, based upon substantial evidence in light of the whole record, to be historically significant or significant in the architectural, engineering, scientific, economic, agricultural, educational, social, political, military or cultural annals of California.

The Lead Agency is not precluded from determining that a resource is a historical resource, as defined in Public Resources Code sections 5020.1(j) or 5024.1, even if it is: (a) not listed in, or is not determined to be eligible for listing in, the California Register of Historical Resources; (b) not included in a local register of historical resources; or (c) not identified in a historical resources survey.

11.29 “Infill Site” means a site in an urbanized area that meets either of the following criteria:
(1) The site has been previously developed for qualified urban uses; or (2) The site has not been previously developed for qualified urban uses and both (a) and (b) are met:
(a) the site is immediately adjacent to parcels that are developed with qualified urban uses, or

1. at least 75 percent of the perimeter of the site adjoins, or is separated only by an improved public right-of-way from, parcels that are developed with existing qualified urban uses at the time the Lead Agency receives an application for an approval; and

2. the remaining 25 percent of the perimeter of the site adjoins parcels that had been previously developed for qualified urban uses;
(b) No parcel within the site has been created within the past 10 years unless the parcel was created as a result of the plan of a redevelopment agency. (Public Resources Code section 21061.3.)

11.30 “Initial Study” means a preliminary analysis conducted by the City to determine whether an EIR, a Negative Declaration, or a Mitigated Negative Declaration must be prepared or to identify the significant environmental effects to be analyzed in an EIR.

11.31 “Jurisdiction by Law” means the authority of any public agency to grant a permit or other entitlement for use, to provide funding for the project in question or to exercise authority over resources which may be affected by the project.

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-7 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP The City will have jurisdiction by law over a project when the City has primary and exclusive jurisdiction over the site of the project, the area in which the major environmental effects will occur, or the area in which reside those citizens most directly concerned by any such environmental effects.

11.32 “Land Disposal Facility” means a hazardous waste facility where hazardous waste is disposed in, on, or under land. (Health and Safety Code section 25199.1(d).)

11.33 “Large Treatment Facility” means a treatment facility which treats or recycles one thousand (1,000) or more tons of hazardous waste during any one month of the current reporting period commencing on or after July 1, 1991. (Health and Safety Code section 25205.1(d).)

11.34 “LCI” refers to the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (formerly known as the Office of Planning and Research, or OPR).

11.35 “Lead Agency” means the public agency which has the principal responsibility for preparing environmental documents and for carrying out or approving a project when more than one public agency is involved with the same underlying activity.

11.36 “Low- and Moderate-Income Households” means persons and families of low or moderate income as defined in Section 50093 of the Health and Safety Code—i.e., persons and families whose income does not exceed 120% of area median income, adjusted for family size by the Department of Housing and Community Development, in accordance with adjustment factors adopted and amended from time to time by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937. (Public Resources Code section 21159.20(d); State CEQA Guidelines section 15191(f).)

11.37 “Low-Income Households” means households of persons and families of very low and low income. Low-income persons or families are those eligible for financial assistance from governmental agencies for occupants of state-funded housing. Very low income persons are those whose incomes do not exceed the qualifying limits for very low income families as established and amended pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937. Such limits are published and updated in the California Code of Regulations. (Public Resources Code section 21159.20(c); Health and Safety Code sections 50105 and 50106; State CEQA Guidelines section 15191(g).)

11.38 “Low-Level Flight Path” means any flight path for any aircraft owned, maintained, or under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Defense that flies lower than 1,500 feet above ground level, as indicated in the United States Department of Defense Flight Information Publication, “Area Planning Military Training Routes: North and South America (AP/1B)” published by the United States National Imagery and Mapping Agency or its successor.

11.39 “Lower Income Households” is defined in Health and Safety Code section 50079.5 to mean any of the following:

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-8 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (1) “Lower income households” means persons and families whose income does not exceed the qualifying limits for lower income families as established and amended from time to time pursuant to Section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937;
(2) “Very low income households” means persons and families whose incomes do not exceed the qualifying limits for very low income families as defined in Health and Safety Code 50105; or
(3) “Extremely low income households” means persons and families whose incomes do not exceed the qualifying limits for extremely low income families as defined in Health and Safety Code section 50106.

11.40 “Major Transit Stop” means a site containing an existing rail or bus rapit transit station, a ferry terminal served by either a bus or rail transit service, or the intersection of two or more major bus routes with a frequency of service interval of twenty (20) minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods. (Pub. Resources Code, § 21064.3; see also Pub. Resources Code, § 21060.2; State CEQA Guidelines section 15191(i).)

11.41 “Metropolitan Planning Organization” or “MPO” means a federally-designated agency that provides transportation planning and programming in metropolitan areas. A MPO is designated for each urban area that has been defined in the most recent federal census as having a population of more than 50,000 people. There are 18 federally-designated MPOs in California. Non-urbanized (rural) areas do not have a designated MPO.

11.42 “Military Impact Zone” means any area, including airspace, that meets both of the following criteria:
(1) Is located within two miles of a military installation, including, but not limited to, any base, military airport, camp, post, station, yard, center, homeport facility for a ship, or any other military activity center that is under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Defense; and
(2) Covers greater than 500 acres of unincorporated land, or greater than 100 acres of city incorporated land.

11.43 “Military Service” means the United States Department of Defense or any branch of the United States Armed Forces.

11.44 “Ministerial” describes a governmental decision involving little or no personal judgment by the public official as to the wisdom or manner of carrying out the project.

The public official merely applies the law to the facts as presented but uses no special discretion or standards or objective measurements, and the public official cannot use personal, subjective judgment in deciding whether or how the project should be carried out. Common examples of ministerial permits include automobile registrations, dog licenses, and marriage licenses. A building permit is ministerial if the ordinance requiring the permit limits the public official to determining whether the zoning allows

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-9 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP the structure to be built in the requested location, the structure would meet the strength requirements in the Uniform Building Code, and the applicant has paid his fee. (Public Resources Code section 21080(b)(1).)

11.45 “Mitigated Negative Declaration” or “MND” means a Negative Declaration prepared for a Project when the Initial Study has identified potentially significant effects on the environment, but: (1) revisions in the project plans or proposals made, or agreed to, by the applicant before the proposed Negative Declaration and Initial Study are released for public review would avoid the effects or mitigate the effects to a point where clearly no significant effect on the environment would occur, and (2) there is no substantial evidence in light of the whole record before the public agency that the project, as revised, may have a significant effect on the environment.

11.46 “Mitigation” includes avoiding the environmental impact altogether by not taking a certain action or parts of an action, minimizing impacts by limiting the degree or magnitude of the action and its implementation, rectifying the impact by repairing, rehabilitating or restoring the impacted environment, reducing or eliminating the impact over time by preservation and maintenance operations during the life of the action, or compensating for the impact by replacing or providing substitute resources or environments, including through permanent protection of such resources in the form of conservation easements.

11.47 “Negative Declaration” or “ND” means a written statement by the City briefly describing the reasons that a proposed project, not exempt from CEQA, will not have a significant effect on the environment and, therefore, does not require the preparation of an EIR.

11.48 “Notice of Completion” means a brief report filed with the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation by the City when it is the Lead Agency as soon as it has completed a Draft EIR and is prepared to send out copies for review.

11.49 “Notice of Determination” means a brief notice to be filed by the City when it approves or determines to carry out a project which is subject to the requirements of CEQA.

11.50 “Notice of Exemption” means a brief notice which may be filed by the City when it has approved or determined to carry out a project, and it has determined that the project is exempt from the requirements of CEQA. Such a notice may also be filed by an applicant where such a determination has been made by a public agency which must approve the project.

11.51 “Notice of Preparation” means a brief notice sent by a Lead Agency to notify the Responsible Agencies, Trustee Agencies, the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, and involved federal agencies that the Lead Agency plans to prepare an EIR for a project. The purpose of this notice is to solicit guidance from those agencies as to the scope and content of the environmental information to be included in the EIR.

Public agencies are free to develop their own formats for this notice.

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-10 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP

11.52 “Oak” means a native tree species in the genus Quercus, not designated as Group A or Group B commercial species pursuant to regulations adopted by the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection pursuant to Public Resources Code section 4526, and that is five (5) inches or more in diameter at breast height. (Public Resources Code section 21083.4(a).)

11.53 “Oak Woodlands” means an oak stand with a greater than 10 percent canopy cover or that may have historically supported greater than 10 percent canopy cover. (Fish & Game Code section 1361(h).)

11.54 “Offsite Facility” means a facility that serves more than one generator of hazardous waste. (Public Resources Code section 21151.1(h).)

11.55 “Person” includes any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business, trust, corporation, company, city, county, city and county, town, the state, and any of the agencies which may be political subdivisions of such entities, and, to the extent permitted by federal law, the United States, or any of its agencies or political subdivisions.

11.56 “Pipeline” as defined in these Local Guidelines depends on the context. Please see Local Guidelines Sections 3.10 and 3.11 for specific definitions.

11.57 “Private Project” means a project which will be carried out by a person other than a governmental agency, but which will need a discretionary approval from the City.

Private projects will normally be those listed in subsections (2) and (3) of Local Guidelines Section 11.58.

11.58 “Project” means the whole of an action or activity which may cause either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect change in the environment, and is any of the following:
(1) A discretionary activity directly undertaken by the City including but not limited to public works construction and related activities, clearing or grading of land, or improvements to existing public structures; (2) A discretionary activity which involves a public agency’s issuance to a person of a lease, permit, license, certificate, or other entitlement for use, or which is supported, in whole or in part, through contracts, grants, subsidies, loans or other forms of assistance by the City; or
(3) A discretionary project proposed to be carried out or approved by public agencies, including but not limited to the enactment and amendment of local General Plans or elements thereof, the enactment of zoning ordinances, the issuance of zoning variances, the issuance of conditional use permits and the approval of tentative subdivision maps.

The presence of any real degree of control over the manner in which a project is completed makes it a discretionary project.

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-11 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP The term “project” refers to the activity which is being approved and which may be subject to several discretionary approvals by governmental agencies. The term “project” does not mean each separate governmental approval.

11.59 “Project-Specific Effects” means all the direct or indirect environmental effects of a project other than cumulative effects and growth-inducing effects. (Public Resources Code section 21065.3; State CEQA Guidelines section 15191(j).)

11.60 “Public Water System” means a system for the provision of piped water to the public for human consumption that has 3,000 or more service connections. A public water system includes all of the following: (A) Any collection, treatment, storage, and distribution facility under control of the operator of the system which is used primarily in connection with the system; (B) Any collection or pretreatment storage facility not under the control of the operator that is used primarily in connection with the system; (C) Any person who treats water on behalf of one or more public water systems for the purpose of rendering it safe for human consumption. (State CEQA Guidelines section 15155.)

11.61 “Qualified Urban Use” means any residential, commercial, public institutional, transit or transportation passenger facility, or retail use, or any combination of those uses. (Public Resources Code section 21072; State CEQA Guidelines section 15191(k).)

11.62 “Residential” means a use consisting of either residential units only or residential units and primarily neighborhood-serving goods, services, or retail uses that do not exceed 15% of the total floor area of the project. (State CEQA Guidelines section 15191(l).) Residential, pursuant to Public Resources Code section 21159.24, shall mean a use consisting of either of the following:
(1) Residential units only.

(2) Residential units and primarily neighborhood-serving goods, services, or retail uses that do not exceed 25 percent of the total building square footage of the project.

11.63 “Responsible Agency” means a public agency which proposes to carry out or approve a project for which a Lead Agency has prepared the environmental documents. For the purposes of CEQA, the term “Responsible Agency” includes all federal, state, regional and local public agencies other than the Lead Agency which have discretionary approval power over the project.

11.64 “Riparian areas” mean those areas transitional between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and that are distinguished by gradients in biophysical conditions, ecological processes, and biota. A riparian area is an area through which surface and subsurface hydrology connect waterbodies with their adjacent uplands. A riparian area includes those portions of terrestrial ecosystems that significantly influence exchanges of energy and matter with aquatic ecosystems. A riparian area is adjacent to perennial, intermittent, and ephemeral streams, lakes, and estuarine-marine shorelines.

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-12 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP

11.65 “Roadway” means a roadway as defined pursuant to Section 530 of the Vehicle Code and the previously graded and maintained shoulder that is within a roadway right-of- way of no more than five feet from the edge of the roadway.

11.66 “Significant Effect” means a substantial, or potentially substantial, adverse change in any of the physical conditions within the area affected by the activity including land, air, water, minerals, flora, fauna, ambient noise, and objects of historic or aesthetic significance. A social or economic change related to a physical change may be considered in determining whether the physical change is significant.

11.67 “Significant Value as a Wildlife Habitat” includes wildlife habitat of national, statewide, regional, or local importance; habitat for species protected by the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. Sec. 1531, et seq.), the California Endangered Species Act (Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 2050) of Division 3 of the Fish and Game Code), or the Native Plant Protection Act (Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 1900) of Division 2 of the Fish and Game Code); habitat identified as candidate, fully protected, sensitive, or species of special status by local, state, or federal agencies; or habitat essential to the movement of resident or migratory wildlife.

11.68 “Special Use Airspace” means the land area underlying the airspace that is designated for training, research, development, or evaluation for a military service, as that land area is established by the United States Department of Defense Flight Information Publication, “Area Planning: Special Use Airspace: North and South America (AP/1A)” published by the United States National Imagery and Mapping Agency or its successor.

11.69 “Staff” means the City Manager or his or her designee.

11.70 “Standard” means a standard of general application that is all of the following:
(1) A quantitative, qualitative or performance requirement found in a statute, ordinance, resolution, rule, regulation, order, or other standard of general application;
(2) Adopted for the purpose of environmental protection; (3) Adopted by a public agency through a public review process; (4) Governs the same environmental effect which the change in the environment is impacting; and
(5) Governs the jurisdiction where the project is located.

The definition of “standard” includes any thresholds of significance adopted by the City which meet the requirements of this Section.

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-13 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP If there is a conflict between standards, the City shall determine which standard is appropriate based upon substantial evidence in light of the whole record.

11.71 “State CEQA Guidelines” means the Guidelines for Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act as adopted by the Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency as they now exist or hereafter may be amended. (California Administrative Code, Title 14, Sections 15000, et seq.)

11.72 “Substantial Evidence” means reliable information on which a fair argument can be based to support an inference or conclusion, even though another conclusion could be drawn from that information. “Substantial evidence” includes facts, reasonable assumptions predicated upon facts, and expert opinion supported by facts. “Substantial evidence” does not include argument, speculation, unsubstantiated opinion or narrative, evidence which is clearly inaccurate or erroneous, or evidence of social or economic impacts which do not contribute to, or are not caused by, physical impacts on the environment.

11.73 “Sustainable Communities Strategy” is an element of a Regional Transportation Plan, which must be adopted by the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the region. (See Local Guidelines Section 11.40.) The Sustainable Communities Strategy is an integrated land use and transportation plan intended to reduce greenhouse gases. The Sustainable Communities Strategy includes various components such as: consideration of existing densities and uses within the region, identification of areas within the region that can accommodate an eight-year projection of the region’s housing needs, development of projections for growth in the region, identification of existing transportation networks, and preparation of a forecast for development pattern for the region that can be integrated with transportation networks.

11.74 “Tiering” means the coverage of general matters in broader EIRs (such as on general plans or policy statements) with subsequent narrower EIRs or ultimately site-specific EIRs incorporating by reference the general discussions and concentrating solely on the issues specific to the EIR subsequently prepared. Tiering is appropriate when the sequence of EIRs is:
(a) From a general plan, policy, or Program EIR to a program, plan, or policy EIR of lesser scope or to a site-specific EIR; or (b) From an EIR on a specific action at an early stage to a subsequent EIR or a supplement to an EIR at a later stage. Tiering in such cases is appropriate when it helps the Lead Agency to focus on the issues which are ripe for decision and exclude from consideration issues already decided or not yet ripe.
(Public Resources Code sections 21003, 21061 and 21100.)

11.75 “Transit Priority Area” means an area within one-half mile of a major transit stop that is existing or planned, if the planned stop is scheduled to be completed within the

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-14 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP planning horizon included in a Transportation Improvement Program adopted pursuant to Section 450.216 or 450.322 of Title 23 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

11.76 “Transit Priority Project” means a mixed use project that is consistent with the general use designation, density, building intensity, and applicable policies specified for the project area in either a sustainable communities strategy or an alternative planning strategy for which the California Air Resources Board has accepted a Metropolitan Planning Organization’s determination that the sustainable communities strategy or the alternative planning strategy would, if implemented, achieve the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. Such a project may be exempt from CEQA if a detailed laundry list of requirements is met. To qualify for the exemption, the Transit Priority Project must:
(1) contain at least 50 percent residential use based on total building square footage; (2) if the project contains between 26 percent and 50 percent non-residential uses, the floor-to-area ratio (FAR) must be at least 0.75;
(3) have a minimum net density of 20 dwelling units per acre; (4) be located within a half mile of a major transit stop or high-quality transit corridor included in a regional transportation plan; and (5) meet all the requirements of Public Resources Code section 21155.1.

11.77 “Transportation Facilities” includes major local arterials and public transit within five (5) miles of the project site, and freeways, highways, and rail transit service within ten (10) miles of the project site.

11.78 “Tribal Cultural Resources” are either of the following:
(1) Sites, features, places, cultural landscapes, sacred places, and objects with cultural value to a California Native American tribe that are either of the following:
(a) Included or determined to be eligible for inclusion in the California Register of Historical Resources.
(b) Included in a local register of historic resources as defined in subdivision (k) of Public Resources Code section 5020.1. (2) A resource determined by the Lead Agency, in its discretion and supported by substantial evidence, to be significant pursuant to criteria set forth in subdivision (c) of Public Resources Code section 5024.1. In applying the criteria set forth in subdivision (c) of Section 5024.1 for the purposes of this definition, the Lead Agency shall consider the significance of the resource to a California Native American tribe.

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-15 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP A cultural landscape that meets the criteria set forth above is a tribal cultural resource to the extent that the landscape is geographically defined in terms of the size and scope of the landscape.

A historic resource described in Public Resources Code section 21084.1, a unique archaeological resource as defined in subdivision (g) of Public Resources Code section 21083.2, or a “nonunique archaeological resource” as defined in subdivision (h) of Public Resources Code section 21083.2 may also be a tribal cultural resource if it conforms with the criteria of Tribal cultural resources.

11.79 “Trustee Agency” means a State agency having jurisdiction by law over natural resources affected by a project which are held in trust for the people of the State of California. Trustee Agencies may include, but are not limited to, the following:
(a) The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (“DFW”) with regard to the fish and wildlife of the state, designated rare or endangered native plants, and game refuges, ecological reserves, and other areas administered by DFW;
(b) The State Lands Commission with regard to state owned “sovereign” lands such as the beds of navigable waters and state school lands; (c) The State Department of Parks and Recreation with regard to units of the State Park System;
(d) The University of California with regard to sites within the Natural Land and Water Reserve System; and/or
(e) The State Water Resources Control Board with respect to surface waters.

11.80 “Urban Growth Boundary” means a provision of a locally adopted general plan that allows urban uses on one side of the boundary and prohibits urban uses on the other side of the boundary.

11.81 “Urbanized Area” means either of the following:
(1) An incorporated city that either by itself or in combination with two contiguous incorporated cities has a population of at least one hundred thousand (100,000) persons;
(2) An unincorporated area that meets both of the following requirements:
(a) The unincorporated area is either:
(i) completely surrounded by one or more incorporated cities, has a population of at least 100,000 persons either by itself or in combination with the surrounding incorporated city or cities, and has a population density that at least equals the population density of the surrounding city or cities; or
(ii) located within an urban growth boundary and has an existing residential population of at least five thousand (5,000) persons per square mile. An “urban growth boundary” means a

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-16 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP provision of a locally adopted general plan that allows urban uses on one side of the boundary and prohibits urban uses on the other side.
(b) The board of supervisors with jurisdiction over the unincorporated area has taken all three of the following steps:

1. Prepared a draft document by which the board would find that the general plan, zoning ordinance, and related policies and programs applicable to the unincorporated area are consistent with principles that encourage compact development in a manner that promotes efficient transportation systems,
economic growth, affordable housing, energy efficiency, and an appropriate balance of jobs and housing, and protects the environment, open space and agricultural areas;

2. Submitted the draft document to the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation and allowed LCI thirty (30) days to submit comments on the draft finding to the board; and

3. At least thirty (30) days after submitting the draft document to LCI, the board has adopted a final finding in substantial conformity with the draft finding described in the draft document.
(Public Resources Code sections 21083, 21159.20-21159.24; State CEQA Guidelines section 15191(m).)

11.82 “Water Acquisition Plans” means any plans for acquiring additional water supplies prepared by the public water system or a city or county Lead Agency pursuant to subdivision (a) of section 10911 of the Water Code.

11.83 “Water Assessment” or “Water Supply Assessment” means the water supply assessment that must be prepared by the governing body of a public water system, or a city or county, pursuant to and in compliance with sections 10910 to 10915 of the Water Code, and that includes, without limitation, the elements of the assessment required to comply with subdivisions (d), (e), (f), and (g) of section 10910 of the Water Code.

11.84 “Water Demand Project” means any one of the following:
(A) A residential development of more than 500 dwelling units; (B) A shopping center or business establishment employing more than 1,000 persons or having more than 500,000 square feet of floor space; (C) A commercial office building employing more than 1,000 persons or having more than 250,000 square feet of floor space;
(D) A hotel or motel, or both, having more than 500 rooms;

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-17 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP (E) An industrial, manufacturing, or processing plant, or industrial park planned to house more than 1,000 persons, occupying more than 40 acres of land, or having more than 650,000 square feet of floor area;
Except, a proposed photovoltaic or wind energy generation facility approved on or after October 8, 2011, is not a Water Demand Project if the facility would demand no more than 75 acre-feet of water annually.
(F) A mixed-use project that includes one or more of the projects specified in subdivisions (A); (B), (C), (D), (E), or (G) of this section; (G) A project that would demand an amount of water equivalent to, or greater than, the amount of water required by a 500 dwelling unit project; or (H) For public water systems with fewer than 5,000 service connections, a project that meets the following criteria:
(1) A proposed residential, business, commercial, hotel or motel, or industrial development that would account for an increase of 10 percent or more in the number of a public water system’s existing service connections; or
(2) A mixed-use project that would demand an amount of water equivalent to, or greater than, the amount of water required by residential development that would represent an increase of 10 percent or more in the number of the public water system’s existing service connections. (State CEQA Guidelines section 15155.)

11.85 “Waterway” means a bay, estuary, lake, pond, river, slough, or a perennial, intermittent, or ephemeral stream, lake, or estuarine-marine shoreline.

11.86 “Wetlands” has the same meaning as that term is construed in the regulations issued by the United States Army Corps of Engineers pursuant to the Clean Water Act. Thus, “wetlands” means areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas. (Public Resources Code section 21159.21(d), incorporating Title 33, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 328.3.)

11.87 “Wildlife Habitat” means the ecological communities upon which wild animals, birds, plants, fish, amphibians, and invertebrates depend for their conservation and protection. (Public Resources Code section 21159.21.)

11.88 “Zoning Approval” means any enactment, amendment, or appeal of a zoning ordinance; granting of a conditional use permit or variance; or any other form of land

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) DEFINITIONS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 11-18 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP use, subdivision, tract, or development approval required from the city or county having jurisdiction to permit the particular use of the property.

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) FORMS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 12-1 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP

12. FORMS

See forms A – S which accompany these Guidelines.

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) Common ACRONYMS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 13-1 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP

13. COMMON ACRONYMS
A. **************************************************
ADEIR – Administrative Draft Environmental Impact Report AQMD – Air Quality Management District
AQMP – Air Quality Management Plan
AR – Administrative Record
ARB – Air Resources Board
B. **************************************************
BMP – Best Management Practices
BO – Biological Opinion
C. **************************************************
Cal EPA – California Environmental Protection Agency
CAP – Climate Action Plan
CCAA – California Clean Air Act
CCR – California Code of Regulations (Title 14 Sections 15000 et seq. are also known as the State CEQA Guidelines.)
CE – Categorical Exclusion (NEPA)
CESA – California Endangered Species Act
CEQA – California Environmental Quality Act
CFR – Code of Federal Regulations
CMP – Congestion Management Plan
CRWQCB – California Regional Water Quality Control Board D. **************************************************
DEIR – Draft Environmental Impact Report
DFW – Department of Fish and Wildlife
E. **************************************************
EA – Environmental Assessment (NEPA term)
EIR – Environmental Impact Report
EIS – Environmental Impact Statement (NEPA term)
EPA – Environmental Protection Agency
ESA – Endangered Species Act; Environmental Site Assessment F. **************************************************
FCAA – Federal Clean Air Act
FEIR – Final Environmental Impact Report
FOIA – Freedom of Information Act (Federal)
FONSI – Finding of No Significant Impact (NEPA term)
FWS – Fish and Wildlife Service

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) Common ACRONYMS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 13-2 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP G. **************************************************
GHG – Greenhouse Gas
GW – Ground Water
H. **************************************************
HH&E – Human Health and Environment
HRA – Health Risk Assessment
HS – Hazardous Substance
I. **************************************************
IS – Initial Study
J. **************************************************
K. **************************************************
L. **************************************************
LADD – Lifetime Average Daily Dose; Lowest Acceptable Daily Dose LCI - Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation formerly Office of Planning and Research
LEA – Local Enforcement Agency
LESA – Land Evaluation and Site Assessment
LUFT – Leaking Underground Fuel Tank
LUST – Leaking Underground Storage Tanks. Reference Part 213 of Public Act 451 of 1994.

M. **************************************************
MEIR – Master Environmental Impact Report
MMRP – Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan
MPO – Metropolitan Planning Organization
MND – Mitigated Negative Declaration
N. **************************************************
ND – Negative Declaration
NEPA – National Environmental Policy Act
NOA – Notice of Availability
NOC – Notice of Completion
NOD – Notice of Determination
NOE – Notice of Exemption
NOI – Notice of Intent
NOP – Notice of Preparation
NOV – Notice of Violation
O. **************************************************

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) Common ACRONYMS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 13-3 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP

P. **************************************************
PEIR – Program Environmental Impact Report. Sometimes also used to describe a Project Environmental Impact Report
PM – Particulate Matter
PRA – Public Records Act
PSA – Permit Streamlining Act
Q. **************************************************
R. **************************************************
RCRA – Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1976) Governs definition, handling, and disposal of hazardous waste.

S. **************************************************
SCH – State Clearinghouse
SEIR – Supplemental or Subsequent Environmental Impact Report SMARA – Surface Mining and Reclamation Act
SWMP – Stormwater Monitoring Program
SWPPP – Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program
T. **************************************************
TCM – Transportation Control Measure
TCP – Transportation Control Plan
TDS – Total Dissolved Solids
TMP – Transportation Management Plan
Title V – refers to Title V of the Clean Air Act related to ambient air quality provisions TLV – Threshold Limit Value
U. **************************************************
UBC – Uniform Building Code
UFC – Uniform Fire Code
UGST – Underground Storage Tank
USDW – Underground Source of Drinking Water
UWMP – Urban Water Management Plan
V. **************************************************
VOC – Volatile Organic Compounds (Health & Safety Code, Section 25123.6.) VOS – Vehicle Operating Survey
W. **************************************************
WQS – Water Quality Standard
WSA – Water Supply Assessment

Local Guidelines for Implementing the
California Environmental Quality Act (2025) Common ACRONYMS

2025 City of Indian Wells Local Guidelines 13-4 ©Best Best & Krieger LLP WTP – Water Treatment Plant. A facility designed to provide treatment to water.

WWTP – Wastewater Treatment Plan
X. **************************************************
Y. **************************************************
Z. **************************************************

INDIAN WELLS CITY COUNCIL
June 10, 2025

To: City Council
From: Public Works Department
Prepared by: Ken Seumalo, Public Works Director
Subject: Supplemental Appropriation for Drainage Repair on Fred Waring Drive

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

Council APPROVES a supplemental appropriation of $65,000 for the repair of a storm drain line in Fred Waring Drive; and

DIRECTS Staff to adjust the project budget accordingly; and

FINDS the project to be exempt from the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 15061 (b)(3).

BACKGROUND:

During this past winter the City of Palm Desert discovered a sinkhole in the Westbound lanes of Fred Waring Drive. After a brief investigation, it was discovered that a storm drainpipe extending from Alaska Street in Palm Desert to the Indian Wells Golf Resort had failed. The broken pipe caused erosion of the roadbed resulting in the sinkhole. The City of Palm Desert is starting a project to repair the northern half of the storm drain within their City Limits and wishes to collaborate on a joint repair of the storm drain, rather than doing the repairs individually. The cost opportunity to repair both segments of the storm drainpipe will be divided proportionately based on the linear footage of the repair.

Staff are seeking Council approval to participate in the repair of the whole storm drainpipe with the City of Palm Desert and generate project savings from doing the project individually.

FISCAL IMPACT:

Staff is recommending approval of a supplemental appropriation of $65,000 from the Capital Improvement reserves and create a Capital Improvement Project for the repair of a storm drainpipe repair within the City of Indian Wells’ Right-of-Way.

CITY COUNCIL STRATEGIC GOAL:

Approval of this project is consistent with the City Council goal of Fiscal Responsibility and Sustainability by expanding partnerships with other communities that improve the City’s fiscal efficiency.

CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA):

This project has been assessed in accordance with the authority and criteria contained in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the State and local CEQA Guidelines, and the environmental regulations of the City. The City acting as Lead Agency, has determined the project qualifies as being Categorically Exempt from CEQA pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3).

ATTACHMENTS:

1. Attachment A – Location Map

Exhibit A ATTACHME NT #1

INDIAN WELLS CITY COUNCIL
June 10, 2025

To: City Council
From: Public Works Department
Prepared by: Dina Purvis, Assistant Public Works Director Subject: Supplemental Appropriation for City-wide Street Sweeping

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:

Council AWARDS the Street Sweeping Contract with SCA of CA, LLC in the amount of $96,592.08 per year for a three-year term for city wide street sweeping services; and

APPROVES a supplemental appropriation of $21,592 per year to fund the street sweeping services contract; and

FINDS the action exempt from CEQA review under CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3).

DISCUSSION:

The City contracts for weekly street sweeping services on all public streets not included in the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) Regional Street Sweeping Program. The current City contract for street sweeping services with M&M Sweeping expires June 30, 2025.

Analysis:

Street sweeping is an important service to the City of Indian Wells. For obvious reasons, sweeping maintains the “Indian Wells Quality” look of the City streets; but sweeping is a Clean Water requirement because it minimizes the amount of dirt and debris that migrates into the storm drain system.

On April 9, 2025, staff distributed a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Street and Curb Sweeping Services to coincide with the conclusion of the current contract. Four proposals were submitted to the City, the results are listed below:

FIRM ANNUAL PROPOSAL AMOUNT
DC Carr Enterprises LLC $323,505.52

M&M Professional Sweeping $57,475.60
Road Services $101,403.64
SCA of CA, LLC $96,592.08

Each bid complies with the prevailing wage requirement.

Staff reviewed all proposals and determined, through a scoring system, that interviewing the two low bidders would provide valuable insight into the level of service each company would provide. The service providers were asked a series of questions, like, “how do you handle special calls for service?”, “do you use GPS to monitor your vehicle’s sweeping routes?”, and “What is the timing and level of response to complaints?”. Upon conclusion of the interview process, Staff is recommending the City enter into a contract with SCA of CA, LLC to provide street sweeping services for the next three (3) years.

FISCAL IMPACT:

The weekly charge for this service will be $1,857.54, or $96,592.08 annually. There are sufficient funds in the FY 2025/2026 Public Works Infrastructure Operating Budget, Account No. 1018301 545000. A requisition in the amount of $96,592.08 will be issued to SCA of CA, LLC for street sweeping services.

CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA):

The action is not a project within the meaning of Section 15378 of the State of California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) Guidelines, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change in the environment, directly or indirectly; and that the action is nonetheless exempt from the requirements of CEQA in that the activity is covered by the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential for causing a significant effect on the environment. (15061(b)(3).)

ATTACHMENTS:

1. Street Sweeping Contract with SCA of CA, LLC.

26529.00000\42069066.3
1 BB&K (2024) MAINTENANCE SERVICES AGREEMENT

CITY OF INDIAN WELLS

MAINTENANCE SERVICES AGREEMENT

1.PARTIES AND DATE.

This Agreement is made and entered as of June 5, 2025 by and between the City of Indian Wells, a municipal corporation organized under the laws of the State of California with its principal place of business at 44-950 Eldorado Drive, Indian Wells, CA 92210 (“City”) and SCA of CA, LLC, a Limited Liability Company with its principal place of business at 4141 Rockside Road, Ste. 100, Seven Hills, OH 44131 (“Contractor”). City and Contractor are sometimes individually referred to as “Party” and collectively as “Parties” in this Agreement.

2.RECITALS.

2.1 Contractor.

Contractor desires to perform and assume responsibility for the provision of certain maintenance services required by the City on the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.

Contractor represents that it is experienced in providing maintenance services to public clients, that it and its employees or subcontractors have all necessary licenses and permits to perform the Services in the State of California, and that Contractor is familiar with the plans of City. Contractor shall not subcontract any portion of the work required by this Agreement, except as expressly stated herein, without prior written approval of City. Subcontracts, if any, shall contain a provision making them subject to all provisions stipulated in this Agreement.

2.2 Project.

City desires to engage Contractor to render such services for the citywide street and curb sweeping project (“Project”) as set forth in this Agreement.

3.TERMS.

3.1 Scope of Services and Term.

3.1.1 General Scope of Services. Contractor promises and agrees to furnish to the City all labor, materials, tools, equipment, services, and incidental and customary work necessary to fully and adequately supply the street and curb sweeping maintenance services necessary for the Project (“Services”). The Services are more particularly described in Exhibit “A” attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference. All Services shall be subject to, and performed in accordance with, this Agreement, the exhibits attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference, and all applicable local, state and federal laws, rules and regulations.

ATTACHMENT #1

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3.1.2 Term. The term of this Agreement shall be from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2030, unless earlier terminated as provided herein.

3.2 Fees and Payments.

3.2.1 Compensation. Contractor shall receive compensation, including authorized reimbursements, for all Services rendered under this Agreement at the rates set forth in Exhibit ”C” attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference. The total compensation shall not exceed One Hundred Thousand Four Hundred Ninety-Two and 08/100 Dollars ($100,492.08) without written approval of City’s Representative. Extra Work may be authorized, as described below, and if authorized, will be compensated at the rates and manner set forth in this Agreement.

3.2.2 Payment of Compensation. Contractor shall submit to City a monthly itemized statement which indicates work completed and hours of Services rendered by Contractor.

The statement shall describe the amount of Services and supplies provided since the initial commencement date, or since the start of the subsequent billing periods, as appropriate, through the date of the statement. City shall, within 45 days of receiving such statement, review the statement and pay all approved charges thereon.

3.2.3 Deductions. City may deduct or withhold, as applicable, from each progress payment an amount necessary to protect City from loss because of: (1) stop payment notices as allowed by state law; (2) unsatisfactory prosecution of the Services by Contractor; (3) sums representing expenses, losses, or damages as determined by the City, incurred by the City for which Contractor is liable under the Agreement; and (4) any other sums which the City is entitled to recover from Contractor under the terms of the Agreement or pursuant to state law, including Section 1727 of the California Labor Code. The failure by the City to deduct any of these sums from a progress payment shall not constitute a waiver of the City's right to such sums.

3.2.4 Reimbursement for Expenses. Contractor shall not be reimbursed for any expenses unless authorized in writing by City.

3.2.5 Extra Work. At any time during the term of this Agreement, City may request that Contractor perform Extra Work. As used herein, “Extra Work” means any work which is determined by City to be necessary for the proper completion of the Project, but which the parties did not reasonably anticipate would be necessary at the execution of this Agreement. Contractor shall not perform, nor be compensated for, Extra Work without written authorization from City’s Representative.

3.2.6 California Labor Code Requirements
a. Contractor is aware of the requirements of California Labor Code Sections 1720 et seq. and 1770 et seq., as well as California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 16000, et seq., (“Prevailing Wage Laws”), which require the payment of prevailing wage rates and the performance of other requirements on certain “public works” and “maintenance” projects . If the Services are being performed as part of an applicable “public works” or “maintenance” project, as defined by the Prevailing Wage Laws, and if the total compensation is $15,000 or more,

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Contractor agrees to fully comply with such Prevailing Wage Laws. City shall provide Contractor with a copy of the prevailing rates of per diem wages in effect at the commencement of this Agreement. Contractor shall make copies of the prevailing rates of per diem wages for each craft, classification or type of worker needed to execute the Services available to interested parties upon request, and shall post copies at the Contractor’s principal place of business and at the project site.

Contractor shall defend, indemnify and hold the City, its officials, officers, employees and agents free and harmless from any claims, liabilities, costs, penalties or interest arising out of any failure or alleged failure to comply with the Prevailing Wage Laws. It shall be mandatory upon the Contractor and all subcontractors to comply with all California Labor Code provisions, which include but are not limited to prevailing wages (Labor Code Sections 1771, 1774 and 1775), employment of apprentices (Labor Code Section 1777.5), certified payroll records (Labor Code Sections 1771.4 and 1776), hours of labor (Labor Code Sections 1813 and 1815) and debarment of contractors and subcontractors (Labor Code Section 1777.1). The requirement to submit certified payroll records directly to the Labor Commissioner under Labor Code section 1771.4 shall not apply to work performed on a public works project that is exempt pursuant to the small project exemption specified in Labor Code Section 1771.4. b. If the Services are being performed as part of an applicable “public works” or “maintenance” project, and if the total compensation is $15,000 or more, then pursuant to Labor Code Sections 1725.5 and 1771.1, the Contractor and all subcontractors performing such Services must be registered with the Department of Industrial Relations. Contractor shall maintain registration for the duration of the Project and require the same of any subcontractors, as applicable. This Project may also be subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations. It shall be Contractor’s sole responsibility to comply with all applicable registration and labor compliance requirements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the contractor registration requirements mandated by Labor Code Sections 1725.5 and 1771.1 shall not apply to work performed on a public works project that is exempt pursuant to the small project exemption specified in Labor Code Sections 1725.5 and 1771.1. c. This Agreement may also be subject to compliance monitoring and enforcement by the Department of Industrial Relations. It shall be Contractor’s sole responsibility to comply with all applicable registration and labor compliance requirements. Any stop orders issued by the Department of Industrial Relations against Contractor or any subcontractor that affect Contractor’s performance of Services, including any delay, shall be Contractor’s sole responsibility. Any delay arising out of or resulting from such stop orders shall be considered Contractor caused delay and shall not be compensable by the City. Contractor shall defend, indemnify and hold the City, its officials, officers, employees and agents free and harmless from any claim or liability arising out of stop orders issued by the Department of Industrial Relations against Contractor or any subcontractor.

3.2.7 Insurance.

3.2.7.1 Time for Compliance. Contractor shall not commence Services under this Agreement until it has provided evidence satisfactory to the City that it has secured all insurance required under this Section. In addition, Contractor shall not allow any subcontractor to commence work on any subcontract until it has provided evidence satisfactory to the City that the subcontractor has secured all insurance required under this Section.

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3.2.7.2 Minimum Requirements. Contractor shall, at its expense, procure and maintain for the duration of the Agreement insurance against claims for injuries to persons or damages to property which may arise from or in connection with the performance of the Agreement by the Contractor, its agents, representatives, employees or subcontractors.

Contractor shall also require all of its subcontractors to procure and maintain the same insurance for the duration of the Agreement. Such insurance shall meet at least the following minimum levels of coverage:
(A) Minimum Scope of Insurance. Coverage shall be at least as broad as the latest version of the following: (1) General Liability: Insurance Services Office Commercial General Liability coverage (occurrence form CG 0001); (2) Automobile Liability:

Insurance Services Office Business Auto Coverage form number CA 0001, code 1 (any auto); and (3) Workers’ Compensation and Employer’s Liability: Workers’ Compensation insurance as required by the State of California and Employer’s Liability Insurance. The policy shall not contain any exclusion contrary to the Agreement, including but not limited to endorsements or provisions limiting coverage for (1) contractual liability (including but not limited to ISO CG 24 26 or 21 29); or (2) cross liability for claims or suits by one insured against another. (B) Minimum Limits of Insurance. Contractor shall maintain limits no less than: (1) General Liability: $5,000,000 per occurrence for bodily injury, personal injury and property damage. If Commercial General Liability Insurance or other form with general aggregate limit is used including, but not limited to, form CG 2503, either the general aggregate limit shall apply separately to this Agreement/location or the general aggregate limit shall be twice the required occurrence limit; (2) Automobile Liability: $5,000,000 per accident for bodily injury and property damage; and (3) Workers’ Compensation and Employer’s Liability: Workers’ Compensation limits as required by the Labor Code of the State of California. Employer’s Liability limits of $1,000,000 per accident for bodily injury or disease. Defense costs shall be paid in addition to the limits.
(C) Notices; Cancellation or Reduction of Coverage. At least fifteen (15) days prior to the expiration of any such policy, evidence showing that such insurance coverage has been renewed or extended shall be filed with the City. If such coverage is cancelled or materially reduced, Contractor shall, within ten (10) days after receipt of written notice of such cancellation or reduction of coverage, file with the City evidence of insurance showing that the required insurance has been reinstated or has been provided through another insurance company or companies. In the event any policy of insurance required under this Agreement does not comply with these specifications or is canceled and not replaced, the City has the right but not the duty to obtain the insurance it deems necessary and any premium paid by the City will be promptly reimbursed by Contractor or the City may withhold amounts sufficient to pay premium from Contractor payments. In the alternative, the City may suspend or terminate this Agreement. (D) Additional Insured. The City of Indian Wells, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers shall be named as additional insureds on Contractor’s and its subcontractors’ policies of commercial general liability and automobile liability insurance using the endorsements and forms specified herein or exact equivalents.

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3.2.7.3 Insurance Endorsements. The insurance policies shall contain the following provisions, or Contractor shall provide endorsements on forms supplied or approved by the City to add the following provisions to the insurance policies:
(A) General Liability. The general liability policy shall include or be endorsed (amended) to state that: (1) using ISO CG forms 20 10 and 20 37, or endorsements providing the exact same coverage, the City of Indian Wells, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers shall be covered as additional insured with respect to the Services or ongoing and complete operations performed by or on behalf of the Contractor, including materials, parts or equipment furnished in connection with such work; and (2) using ISO form 20 01, or endorsements providing the exact same coverage, the insurance coverage shall be primary insurance as respects the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers, or if excess, shall stand in an unbroken chain of coverage excess of the Contractor’s scheduled underlying coverage. Any excess insurance shall contain a provision that such coverage shall also apply on a primary and noncontributory basis for the benefit of the City, before the City’s own primary insurance or self-insurance shall be called upon to protect it as a named insured. Any insurance or self-insurance maintained by the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers shall be excess of the Contractor’s insurance and shall not be called upon to contribute with it in any way. Notwithstanding the minimum limits set forth in Section 3.2.11.2(B), any available insurance proceeds in excess of the specified minimum limits of coverage shall be available to the parties required to be named as additional insureds pursuant to this Section 3.2.11.3(A). (B) Automobile Liability. The automobile liability policy shall include or be endorsed (amended) to state that: (1) the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers shall be covered as additional insureds with respect to the ownership, operation, maintenance, use, loading or unloading of any auto owned, leased, hired or borrowed by the Contractor or for which the Contractor is responsible; and (2) the insurance coverage shall be primary insurance as respects the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers, or if excess, shall stand in an unbroken chain of coverage excess of the Contractor’s scheduled underlying coverage. Any insurance or self-insurance maintained by the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers shall be excess of the Contractor’s insurance and shall not be called upon to contribute with it in any way. Notwithstanding the minimum limits set forth in Section 3.2.11.2(B), any available insurance proceeds in excess of the specified minimum limits of coverage shall be available to the parties required to be named as additional insureds pursuant to this Section 3.2.11.3(B).
(C) Workers’ Compensation and Employer’s Liability
Coverage. The insurer shall agree to waive all rights of subrogation against the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers for losses paid under the terms of the insurance policy which arise from work performed by the Contractor.
(D) All Coverages. Each insurance policy required by this Agreement shall be endorsed to state that: (A) coverage shall not be suspended, voided, reduced or canceled except after thirty (30) days (10 days for nonpayment of premium) prior written notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, has been given to the City; and (B) any failure to comply with reporting or other provisions of the policies, including breaches of warranties, shall not affect coverage provided to the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers. Any

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failure to comply with reporting or other provisions of the policies including breaches of warranties shall not affect coverage provided to the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents and volunteers, or any other additional insureds.

3.2.7.4 Separation of Insureds; No Special Limitations; Waiver of Subrogation. All insurance required by this Section shall contain standard separation of insureds provisions. In addition, such insurance shall not contain any special limitations on the scope of protection afforded to the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers. All policies shall waive any right of subrogation of the insurer against the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers, or any other additional insureds, or shall specifically allow Contractor or others providing insurance evidence in compliance with these specifications to waive their right of recovery prior to a loss. Contractor hereby waives its own right of recovery against City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers, or any other additional insureds, and shall require similar written express waivers and insurance clauses from each of its subcontractors.

3.2.7.5 Deductibles and Self-Insurance Retentions. Any deductibles or self-insured retentions must be declared to and approved by the City. Contractor shall guarantee that, at the option of the City, either: (1) the insurer shall reduce or eliminate such deductibles or self-insured retentions as respects the City, its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers; or (2) the Contractor shall procure a bond guaranteeing payment of losses and related investigation costs, claims and administrative and defense expenses.

3.2.7.6 Subcontractor Insurance Requirements. Contractor shall not allow any subcontractors to commence work on any subcontract relating to the work under the Agreement until they have provided evidence satisfactory to the City that they have secured all insurance required under this Section. If requested by Contractor, the City may approve different scopes or minimum limits of insurance for particular subcontractors. The Contractor and the City shall be named as additional insureds on all subcontractors’ policies of Commercial General Liability using ISO form 20 38, or coverage at least as broad.

3.2.7.7 Acceptability of Insurers. Insurance is to be placed with insurers with a current A.M. Best’s rating no less than A:VIII, licensed to do business in California, and satisfactory to the City.

3.2.7.8 Verification of Coverage. Contractor shall furnish City with original certificates of insurance and endorsements effecting coverage required by this Agreement on forms satisfactory to the City. The certificates and endorsements for each insurance policy shall be signed by a person authorized by that insurer to bind coverage on its behalf, and shall be on forms provided by the City if requested. All certificates and endorsements must be received and approved by the City before work commences. The City reserves the right to require complete, certified copies of all required insurance policies, at any time.

3.2.7.9 Reporting of Claims. Contractor shall report to the City, in addition to Contractor’s insurer, any and all insurance claims submitted by Contractor in connection with the Services under this Agreement.

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3.2.8 Safety. Contractor shall execute and maintain its work so as to avoid injury or damage to any person or property. In carrying out its Services, the Contractor shall at all times be in compliance with all applicable local, state and federal laws, rules and regulations, and shall exercise all necessary precautions for the safety of employees appropriate to the nature of the work and the conditions under which the work is to be performed. Safety precautions as applicable shall include, but shall not be limited to: (A) adequate life protection and lifesaving equipment and procedures; (B) instructions in accident prevention for all employees and subcontractors, such as safe walkways, scaffolds, fall protection ladders, bridges, gang planks, confined space procedures, trenching and shoring, equipment and other safety devices, equipment and wearing apparel as are necessary or lawfully required to prevent accidents or injuries; and (C) adequate facilities for the proper inspection and maintenance of all safety measures.

3.3 Responsibilities of Contractor.

3.3.1 Control and Payment of Subordinates; Independent Contractor. The Services shall be performed by Contractor or under its supervision. Contractor will determine the means, methods and details of performing the Services subject to the requirements of this Agreement. City retains Contractor on an independent contractor basis and not as an employee.

Contractor retains the right to perform similar or different services for others during the term of this Agreement. Any additional personnel performing the Services under this Agreement on behalf of Contractor shall also not be employees of City and shall at all times be under Contractor’s exclusive direction and control. Contractor shall pay all wages, salaries, and other amounts due such personnel in connection with their performance of Services under this Agreement and as required by law. Contractor shall be responsible for all reports and obligations respecting such additional personnel, including, but not limited to: social security taxes, income tax withholding, unemployment insurance, disability insurance, and workers’ compensation insurance.

3.3.2 Schedule of Services. Contractor shall perform the Services expeditiously, within the term of this Agreement, and in accordance with the Schedule of Services set forth in Exhibit “B” attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference. Contractor represents that it has the professional and technical personnel required to perform the Services in conformance with such conditions. In order to facilitate Contractor’s conformance with the Schedule, City shall respond to Contractor’s submittals in a timely manner. Upon request of City, Contractor shall provide a more detailed schedule of anticipated performance to meet the Schedule of Services.

3.3.3 Conformance to Applicable Requirements. All work prepared by Contractor shall be subject to the approval of City.

3.3.4 City’s Representative. The City hereby designates Public Works Director, or his or her designee, to act as its representative for the performance of this Agreement (“City’s Representative”). City’s Representative shall have the power to act on behalf of the City for all purposes under this Agreement except for increasing compensation. Contractor shall not accept direction or orders from any person other than the City’s Representative or his or her designee.

3.3.5 Contractor’s Representative. Contractor hereby designates Patrick Bobo or his or her designee, to act as its representative for the performance of this Agreement (“Contractor’s Representative”). Contractor’s Representative shall have full authority to represent

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and act on behalf of the Contractor for all purposes under this Agreement. The Contractor’s Representative shall supervise and direct the Services, using his best skill and attention, and shall be responsible for all means, methods, techniques, sequences and procedures and for the satisfactory coordination of all portions of the Services under this Agreement.

3.3.6 Coordination of Services. Contractor agrees to work closely with City staff in the performance of Services and shall be available to City’s staff, consultants and other staff at all reasonable times.

3.3.7 Standard of Care; Performance of Employees. Contractor shall perform all Services under this Agreement in a skillful and competent manner, consistent with the standards generally recognized as being employed by professionals in the same discipline in the State of California. Contractor represents and maintains that it is skilled in the professional calling necessary to perform the Services. Contractor warrants that all employees and subcontractors shall have sufficient skill and experience to perform the Services assigned to them. Finally, Contractor represents that it, its employees and subcontractors have all licenses, permits, qualifications and approvals of whatever nature that are legally required to perform the Services, including a City Business License, and that such licenses and approvals shall be maintained throughout the term of this Agreement. As provided for in the indemnification provisions of this Agreement, Contractor shall perform, at its own cost and expense and without reimbursement from the City, any services necessary to correct errors or omissions which are caused by the Contractor’s failure to comply with the standard of care provided for herein. Any employee of the Contractor or its sub- contractors who is determined by the City to be uncooperative, incompetent, a threat to the adequate or timely completion of the Project, a threat to the safety of persons or property, or any employee who fails or refuses to perform the Services in a manner acceptable to the City, shall be promptly removed from the Project by the Contractor and shall not be re-employed to perform any of the Services or to work on the Project.

3.3.8 Period of Performance and Liquidated Damages.

3.3.8.1 Contractor shall perform and complete all Services under this Agreement within the term set forth in Section 3.1.2 above (“Performance Time”). Contractor shall perform the Services in strict accordance with any completion schedule or Project milestones described in Exhibits “A” or “B” attached hereto, or which may be provided separately in writing to the Contractor. Contractor agrees that if the Services are not completed within the aforementioned Performance Time and/or pursuant to any such completion schedule or Project milestones developed pursuant to provisions of this Agreement, it is understood, acknowledged and agreed that the City will suffer damage. Pursuant to Government Code Section 53069.85, Contractor shall pay to the City as fixed and liquidated damages, and not as a penalty, the sum of Five Hundred and 00/100 Dollars ($500.00) per day for each and every calendar day of delay beyond the Performance Time or beyond any completion schedule or Project milestones established pursuant to this Agreement.

3.3.8.2 Neither City nor Contractor shall be considered in default of this Agreement for delays in performance caused by circumstances beyond the reasonable control of the non-performing Party. For purposes of this Agreement, such circumstances include a Force Majeure Event. A Force Majeure Event shall mean an event that materially affects a Party’s

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performance and is one or more of the following: (1) Acts of God or other natural disasters; (2) terrorism or other acts of a public enemy; (3) orders of governmental authorities (including, without limitation, unreasonable and unforeseeable delay in the issuance of permits or approvals by governmental authorities that are required for the Services); (4) strikes and other organized labor action occurring at the site and the effects thereof on the Services, only to the extent such strikes and other organized labor action are beyond the control of Contractor and its subconsultants, and to the extent the effects thereof cannot be avoided by use of replacement workers; and (5) pandemics, epidemics or quarantine restrictions. For purposes of this section, “orders of governmental authorities,” includes ordinances, emergency proclamations and orders, rules to protect the public health, welfare and safety, and other actions of a public agency applicable to the Services and Agreement.

3.3.8.3 Should a Force Majeure Event occur, the non-performing Party shall, within a reasonable time of being prevented from performing, give written notice to the other Party describing the circumstances preventing continued performance and the efforts being made to resume performance of this Agreement. Force Majeure Events and/or delays, regardless of the Party responsible for the delay, shall not entitle Contractor to any additional compensation.

Notwithstanding the foregoing in this section, the City may still terminate this Agreement in accordance with the termination provisions of this Agreement.

3.3.9 Disputes. Should any dispute arise respecting the true value of any work done, of any work omitted, or of any extra work which Contractor may be required to do, or respecting the size of any payment to Contractor during the performance of this Agreement, Contractor shall continue to perform the Work while said dispute is decided by the City. If Contractor disputes the City’s decision, Contractor shall have such remedies as may be provided by law.

3.3.10 Laws and Regulations; Employee/Labor Certifications. Contractor shall keep itself fully informed of and in compliance with all local, state and federal laws, rules and regulations in any manner affecting the performance of the Project or the Services, including all Cal/OSHA requirements, and shall give all notices required by law. Contractor shall be liable for all violations of such laws and regulations in connection with Services. If the Contractor performs any work knowing it to be contrary to such laws, rules and regulations and without giving written notice to the City, Contractor shall be solely responsible for all costs arising therefrom. City is a public entity of the State of California subject to certain provisions of the Health & Safety Code, Government Code, Public Contract Code, and Labor Code of the State. It is stipulated and agreed that all provisions of the law applicable to the public contracts of a municipality are a part of this Agreement to the same extent as though set forth herein and will be complied with. These include but are not limited to the payment of prevailing wages, the stipulation that eight (8) hours' labor shall constitute a legal day's work and that no worker shall be permitted to work in excess of eight (8) hours during any one calendar day except as permitted by law. Contractor shall defend, indemnify and hold City, its officials, officers, employees and agents free and harmless, pursuant to the indemnification provisions of this Agreement, from any claim or liability arising out of any failure or alleged failure to comply with such laws, rules or regulations.

3.3.10.1 Employment Eligibility; Contractor. By executing this Agreement, Contractor verifies that it fully complies with all requirements and restrictions of state

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and federal law respecting the employment of undocumented aliens, including, but not limited to, the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, as may be amended from time to time. Such requirements and restrictions include, but are not limited to, examination and retention of documentation confirming the identity and immigration status of each employee of the Contractor.

Contractor also verifies that it has not committed a violation of any such law within the five (5) years immediately preceding the date of execution of this Agreement, and shall not violate any such law at any time during the term of the Agreement. Contractor shall avoid any violation of any such law during the term of this Agreement by participating in an electronic verification of work authorization program operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security, by participating in an equivalent federal work authorization program operated by the United States Department of Homeland Security to verify information of newly hired employees, or by some other legally acceptable method. Contractor shall maintain records of each such verification, and shall make them available to the City or its representatives for inspection and copy at any time during normal business hours. The City shall not be responsible for any costs or expenses related to Contractor’s compliance with the requirements provided for in Section 3.2.10 or any of its sub- sections.

3.3.10.2 Employment Eligibility; Subcontractors, Sub-subcontractors and Consultants. To the same extent and under the same conditions as Contractor, Contractor shall require all of its subcontractors, sub-subcontractors and consultants performing any work relating to the Project or this Agreement to make the same verifications and comply with all requirements and restrictions provided for in Section 3.2.10.1.

3.3.10.3 Employment Eligibility; Failure to Comply. Each person executing this Agreement on behalf of Contractor verifies that they are a duly authorized officer of Contractor, and understands that any of the following shall be grounds for the City to terminate the Agreement for cause: (1) failure of Contractor or its subcontractors, sub-subcontractors or consultants to meet any of the requirements provided for in Sections 3.2.10.1 or 3.2.10.2; (2) any misrepresentation or material omission concerning compliance with such requirements (including in those verifications provided to the Contractor under Section 3.2.10.2); or (3) failure to immediately remove from the Project any person found not to be in compliance with such requirements.

3.3.10.4 Labor Certification. By its signature hereunder, Contractor certifies that it is aware of the provisions of Section 3700 of the California Labor Code which require every employer to be insured against liability for Workers’ Compensation or to undertake self-insurance in accordance with the provisions of that Code, and agrees to comply with such provisions before commencing the performance of the Services.

3.3.10.5 Equal Opportunity Employment. Contractor represents that it is an equal opportunity employer and it shall not discriminate against any subcontractor, employee or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, national origin, handicap, ancestry, sex or age. Such non-discrimination shall include, but not be limited to, all activities related to initial employment, upgrading, demotion, transfer, recruitment or recruitment advertising, layoff or termination.

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3.3.10.6 Air Quality. Contractor must fully comply with all applicable laws, rules and regulations in furnishing or using equipment and/or providing Services, including, but not limited to, emissions limits and permitting requirements imposed by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Contractor shall specifically be aware of the CARB limits and requirements’ application to "portable equipment", which definition is considered by CARB to include any item of equipment with a fuel-powered engine. Contractor shall indemnify City against any fines or penalties imposed by CARB or any other governmental or regulatory agency for violations of applicable laws, rules and/or regulations by Contractor, its subcontractors, or others for whom Contractor is responsible under its indemnity obligations provided for in this Agreement.

3.3.10.7 Water Quality.
(A) Management and Compliance. To the extent applicable, Contractor’s Services must account for, and fully comply with, all local, state and federal laws, rules and regulations that may impact water quality compliance, including, without limitation, all applicable provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. §§ 1300); the California Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act (Cal Water Code §§ 13000-14950); laws, rules and regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency, the State Water Resources Control Board and the Colorado River Regional Water Quality Control Board; the City’s ordinances regulating discharges of storm water; and any and all regulations, policies, or permits issued pursuant to any such authority regulating the discharge of pollutants, as that term is used in the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Control Act, to any ground or surface water in the State. (B) Liability for Non-Compliance. Failure to comply with the laws, regulations and policies described in this Section is a violation of law that may subject Contractor or City to penalties, fines, or additional regulatory requirements. Contractor shall defend, indemnify and hold the City, its officials, officers, employees, volunteers and agents free and harmless, pursuant to the indemnification provisions of this Agreement, from and against any and all fines, penalties, claims or other regulatory requirements imposed as a result of Contractor’s non-compliance with the laws, regulations and policies described in this Section, unless such non- compliance is the result of the sole established negligence, willful misconduct or active negligence of the City, its officials, officers, agents, employees or authorized volunteers. (C) Training. In addition to any other standard of care requirements set forth in this Agreement, Contractor warrants that all employees and subcontractors shall have sufficient skill and experience to perform the Services assigned to them without impacting water quality in violation of the laws, regulations and policies described in this Section. Contractor further warrants that it, its employees and subcontractors will receive adequate training, as determined by City, regarding the requirements of the laws, regulations and policies described in this Section as they may relate to the Services provided under this Agreement. Upon request, City will provide Contractor with a list of training programs that meet the requirements of this paragraph.

3.3.11 Bonds.

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3.3.12 Accounting Records. Contractor shall maintain complete and accurate records with respect to all costs and expenses incurred under this Agreement. All such records shall be clearly identifiable. Contractor shall allow a representative of City during normal business hours to examine, audit, and make transcripts or copies of such records and any other documents created pursuant to this Agreement. Contractor shall allow inspection of all work, data, documents, proceedings, and activities related to the Agreement for a period of three (3) years from the date of final payment under this Agreement.

3.3.13 Work Site.

3.3.13.1 Inspection Of Site. Contractor shall visit sites where Services are to be performed and shall become acquainted with all conditions affecting the Services prior to commencing the Services. Contractor shall make such examinations as it deems necessary to determine the condition of the work sites, its accessibility to materials, workmen and equipment, and to determine Contractor’s ability to protect existing surface and subsurface improvements. No claim for allowances–time or money–will be allowed as to such matters after commencement of the Services.

3.3.13.2 Field Measurements. Contractor shall make field measurements, verify field conditions and shall carefully compare such field measurements and conditions and other information known to Contractor with the Agreement, including any plans, specifications, or scope of work before commencing Services. Errors, inconsistencies or omissions discovered shall be reported to the City immediately and prior to performing any Services or altering the condition.

3.3.14 Loss and Damage. Contractor shall be responsible for all loss and damage which may arise out of the nature of the Services agreed to herein, or from the action of the elements, or from any unforeseen difficulties which may arise or be encountered in the prosecution of the Services until the same is fully completed and accepted by City.

3.3.15 Warranty. Contractor warrants all Services under the Agreement (which for purposes of this Section shall be deemed to include unauthorized work which has not been removed and any non-conforming materials incorporated into the work) to be of good quality and free from any defective or faulty material and workmanship. Contractor agrees that for a period of one year (or the period of time specified elsewhere in the Agreement or in any guarantee or warranty provided by any manufacturer or supplier of equipment or materials incorporated into the work, whichever is later) after the date of final acceptance, Contractor shall within ten (10) days after being notified in writing by the City of any defect in the Services or non-conformance of the Services to the Agreement, commence and prosecute with due diligence all Services necessary to fulfill the terms of the warranty at its sole cost and expense. Contractor shall act sooner as requested by the City in response to an emergency. In addition, Contractor shall, at its sole cost and expense, repair and replace any portions of the work (or work of other contractors) damaged by its defective Services or which becomes damaged in the course of repairing or replacing defective work. For any work so corrected, Contractor’s obligation hereunder to correct defective work shall be reinstated for an additional one year period, commencing with the date of acceptance of such corrected work. Contractor shall perform such tests as the City may require to verify that any corrective actions, including, without limitation, redesign, repairs, and

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replacements comply with the requirements of the Agreement. All costs associated with such corrective actions and testing, including the removal, replacement, and reinstitution of equipment and materials necessary to gain access, shall be the sole responsibility of the Contractor. All warranties and guarantees of subcontractors, suppliers and manufacturers with respect to any portion of the work, whether express or implied, are deemed to be obtained by Contractor for the benefit of the City, regardless of whether or not such warranties and guarantees have been transferred or assigned to the City by separate agreement and Contractor agrees to enforce such warranties and guarantees, if necessary, on behalf of the City. In the event that Contractor fails to perform its obligations under this Section, or under any other warranty or guaranty under this Agreement, to the reasonable satisfaction of the City, the City shall have the right to correct and replace any defective or non-conforming work and any work damaged by such work or the replacement or correction thereof at Contractor's sole expense. Contractor shall be obligated to fully reimburse the City for any expenses incurred hereunder upon demand.

3.4 Termination of Agreement.

3.4.1 Grounds for Termination. City may, by written notice to Contractor, terminate the whole or any part of this Agreement at any time and without cause by giving written notice to Contractor of such termination, and specifying the effective date thereof, at least seven (7) days before the effective date of such termination. Upon termination, Contractor shall be compensated only for those Services which have been adequately rendered to City, and Contractor shall be entitled to no further compensation. Contractor may not terminate this Agreement except for cause. The rights and remedies of the City provided in this section shall not be exclusive and are in addition to any other rights and remedies provided by law, equity or under this Agreement.

3.4.2 Effect of Termination. If this Agreement is terminated as provided herein, City may require Contractor to provide all finished or unfinished Documents and Data and other information of any kind prepared by Contractor in connection with the performance of Services under this Agreement. Contractor shall be required to provide such document and other information within fifteen (15) days of the request.

3.4.3 Additional Services. In the event this Agreement is terminated in whole or in part as provided herein, City may procure, upon such terms and in such manner as it may determine appropriate, services similar to those terminated.

3.5 General Provisions.

3.5.1 Delivery of Notices. All notices permitted or required under this Agreement shall be given to the respective parties at the following address, or at such other address as the respective parties may provide in writing for this purpose:

Contractor:

SCA of CA, LLC
4141 Rockside Road, Ste. 100
Seven Hills, OH 44131

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City:

City of Indian Wells
44-950 Eldorado Drive
Indian Wells, CA 92210
Attn: Public Works Director
Such notice shall be deemed made when personally delivered or when mailed, forty-eight (48) hours after deposit in the U.S. Mail, first class postage prepaid and addressed to the party at its applicable address. Actual notice shall be deemed adequate notice on the date actual notice occurred, regardless of the method of service.

3.5.2 Indemnification.

3.5.2.1 Scope of Indemnity. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Contractor shall defend, indemnify and hold the City, its officials, employees, agents and volunteers free and harmless from any and all claims, demands, causes of action, suits, actions, proceedings, costs, expenses, liability, judgments, awards, decrees, settlements, loss, damage or injury of any kind, in law or equity, regardless of whether the allegations are false, fraudulent, or groundless, to property or persons, including wrongful death, (collectively, “Claims”) in any manner arising out of, pertaining to, or incident to any acts, errors or omissions, or willful misconduct of Contractor, its officials, officers, employees, subcontractors, consultants or agents in connection with the performance of the Contractor’s Services, the Project or this Agreement, including without limitation the payment of all expert witness fees, attorneys’ fees and other related costs and expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent required by Civil Code section 2782, Contractor’s indemnity obligation shall not apply to such loss or damage which is caused by the sole or active negligence or willful misconduct of the City.

3.5.2.2 Additional Indemnity Obligations. Contractor shall defend, with counsel of City’s choosing and at Contractor’s own cost, expense and risk, any and all Claims covered by this section that may be brought or instituted against City or its officials, employees, agents and volunteers. In addition, Contractor shall pay and satisfy any judgment, award or decree that may be rendered against City or its officials, employees, agents and volunteers as part of any such claim, suit, action or other proceeding. Contractor shall also reimburse City for the cost of any settlement paid by City or its officials, employees, agents and volunteers as part of any such claim, suit, action or other proceeding. Such reimbursement shall include payment for City’s attorney’s fees and costs, including expert witness fees. Contractor shall reimburse City and its officials, employees, agents and volunteers, for any and all legal expenses and costs incurred by each of them in connection therewith or in enforcing the indemnity herein provided. Contractor’s obligation to indemnify shall survive expiration or termination of this Agreement, and shall not be restricted to insurance proceeds, if any, received by the City, its officials, employees, agents and volunteers.

3.5.3 Governing Law; Government Code Claim Compliance. This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of California. Venue shall be in Riverside County, California. In addition to any and all contract requirements pertaining to notices of and requests for compensation or payment for extra work, disputed work, claims and/or changed conditions, Contractor must comply with the claim procedures set forth in Government Code sections 900 et

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seq. prior to filing any lawsuit against the City. Such Government Code claims and any subsequent lawsuit based upon the Government Code claims shall be limited to those matters that remain unresolved after all procedures pertaining to extra work, disputed work, claims, and/or changed conditions have been followed by Contractor. If no such Government Code claim is submitted, or if any prerequisite contractual requirements are not otherwise satisfied as specified herein, Contractor shall be barred from bringing and maintaining a valid lawsuit against the City.

3.5.4 Time of Essence. Time is of the essence for each and every provision of this Agreement.

3.5.5 City’s Right to Employ Other Contractors. City reserves right to employ other contractors in connection with this Project.

3.5.6 Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding on the successors and assigns of the parties.

3.5.7 Assignment or Transfer. Contractor shall not assign, hypothecate or transfer, either directly or by operation of law, this Agreement or any interest herein without the prior written consent of the City. Any attempt to do so shall be null and void, and any assignees, hypothecates or transferees shall acquire no right or interest by reason of such attempted assignment, hypothecation or transfer.

3.5.8 Construction; References; Captions. Since the Parties or their agents have participated fully in the preparation of this Agreement, the language of this Agreement shall be construed simply, according to its fair meaning, and not strictly for or against any Party. Any term referencing time, days or period for performance shall be deemed calendar days and not work days.

All references to Contractor include all personnel, employees, agents, and subcontractors of Contractor, except as otherwise specified in this Agreement. All references to City include its officials, officers, employees, agents, and volunteers except as otherwise specified in this Agreement. The captions of the various articles and paragraphs are for convenience and ease of reference only, and do not define, limit, augment, or describe the scope, content or intent of this Agreement.

3.5.9 Amendment; Modification. No supplement, modification or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing and signed by both Parties.

3.5.10 Waiver. No waiver of any default shall constitute a waiver of any other default or breach, whether of the same or other covenant or condition. No waiver, benefit, privilege, or service voluntarily given or performed by a Party shall give the other Party any contractual rights by custom, estoppel or otherwise.

3.5.11 No Third Party Beneficiaries. Except to the extent expressly provided for in Section 3.5.7, there are no intended third party beneficiaries of any right or obligation assumed by the Parties.

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3.5.12 Invalidity; Severability. If any portion of this Agreement is declared invalid, illegal, or otherwise unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

3.5.13 Prohibited Interests. Contractor maintains and warrants that it has not employed nor retained any company or person, other than a bona fide employee working solely for Contractor, to solicit or secure this Agreement. Further, Contractor warrants that it has not paid nor has it agreed to pay any company or person, other than a bona fide employee working solely for Contractor, any fee, commission, percentage, brokerage fee, gift or other consideration contingent upon or resulting from the award or making of this Agreement. Contractor further agrees to file, or shall cause its employees or subcontractors to file, a Statement of Economic Interest with the City’s Filing Officer as required under state law in the performance of the Services. For breach or violation of this warranty, City shall have the right to rescind this Agreement without liability. For the term of this Agreement, no official, officer or employee of City, during the term of his or her service with City, shall have any direct interest in this Agreement, or obtain any present or anticipated material benefit arising therefrom.

3.5.14 Cooperation; Further Acts. The Parties shall fully cooperate with one another, and shall take any additional acts or sign any additional documents as may be necessary, appropriate or convenient to attain the purposes of this Agreement.

3.5.15 Attorneys’ Fees and Costs. If any action in law or equity, including an action for declaratory relief, is brought to enforce or interpret the provisions of this Agreement, the prevailing Party shall be entitled to recover from the losing party attorney’s fees and costs in an amount determined to be reasonable by a court of competent jurisdiction.

3.5.16 Authority to Enter Agreement. Contractor has all requisite power and authority to conduct its business and to execute, deliver, and perform the Agreement. Each Party warrants that the individuals who have signed this Agreement have the legal power, right, and authority to make this Agreement and bind each respective Party.

3.5.17 Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original.

3.5.18 Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire Agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, and supersedes all prior negotiations, understandings or agreements. This Agreement may only be modified by a writing signed by both parties.

3.5.19 Federal Provisions.
[SIGNATURES ON NEXT PAGE]

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SIGNATURE PAGE FOR MAINTENANCE SERVICES AGREEMENT

BETWEEN THE CITY OF INDIAN WELLS

AND SCA OF CA, LLC
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.

CITY OF INDIAN WELLS SCA OF CA, LLC
By:

Ken A. Seumalo
Pubic Work Director

Christopher J. Freeland
City Manager

By:

Jonathan Sisler
Chief Executive Officer

ATTEST:

By: _______________________
Angelica Avila
City Clerk

APPROVED AS TO FORM:

By: _______________________ FOR
Best Best & Krieger LLP
City Attorney